I attended the LA Beginner Day 2 years ago and got a lot out of it. And it was a huge success, filled the room with about 2 hundred people. It cost me an additional $10 for that day, it wasn’t included in the 2 day cost. I was happy with the value that I got. It helped me digest the next 2 days of talks. You can always have a single track on day one for beginners, but that cuts out the other talks for them on that day.
I agree with Verious, the walk at LA is not short, so how far are you talking at Riverside? Definitely need to know the distance.
This is a sticky wicket, it’s kind of a no win. The smart choice is not the cheapest choice. Would charging $10 for the day help offset the extra rental fee from SolarMax? If it came close, I would lean towards Friday at SolarMax.