I just look at it as an investment. I see that you live in SoCal. Use LA, for example, average home electricity bill is $100/mo. per DWP. Thus, if the average LA person goes completely off the grid -- not humanely possible -- they could save a little over $1k/yr in electricity. Balance that against the investment to purchase/install solar panels. What is the payback timeline? (And note the fact that most SoCal homeowners are stretched on their mortgage so adding on more debt is just no doable.)
OTOH, in the next five years, California is targeting Time of Use billing (2019?). If they jack up the rates for the heat of the day, perhaps Solar becomes more financially attractive. That being said, I'd be surprised if the Utilities could get away with jacking rates when folks need a/c the most. In any event, 2019 is not yet.