That's fucking depressing. Though the question I have is - from the looks of it, he works remotely, so why even bother living in such a high cost area? I'm pretty sure this kind of money can rent a much nicer place, possibly even in the same state.
As someone that lives in SoCal, you are correct. You can rent a room for cheaper than what he's paying. It just won't be in Hollywood. Still, I really don't understand why most people would want to live there, as that area is pretty much trash.