I'm just going to pick out items 3 and 8 to save time...
San Diego is actually a better place to visit and stay than L.A., in my opinion. We live in the western U.S. and go to San Diego as often as possible.
The zoo in Balboa Park is one of the outstanding zoos in the world. It can be done in a day, but I find the ape, monkey and orangutan exhibits take almost half a day. It's done very well and the animals well treated.
In addition to the zoo, Balboa Park also has 15 museums, including the San Diego Air and Space Museum which is outstanding, the Museum of San Diego History, and the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center as well as the Old Globe Theater.
A short drive to Point Loma is always in order, especially at dusk to see The Cabrillo Monument located at the extreme end of Point Loma.
The Star of India is an iron clad clipper ship that is berthed near downtown. Don't miss Fiesta del Reyes on Juan Street, downtown San Diego.
Sea World in Diego is the original and still the best in my opinion/
If you go, locate Harbor Island just across the street from Lindbergh Filed (the main airport)... there are a number of centrally located hotels on the man made island at the end of which is Tom Ham's Lighthouse restaurant (http://www.tomhamslighthouse.com/ )... best Margaritas in town... watch the sun go down over the harbor or catch a U.S. Naval carrier entering or leaving the harbor...
Vegas... Google up Gold Coast hotels (or seen here:
http://www.goldcoastcasino.com/ )... They're not on the strip (about a mile west, near the mountains), but excellent hotels (there are two or three of them) at a very reasonable cost. You'll be amazed at the size of the rooms. 5 or 6 restaurants in each. They run shuttle busses to the strip 24/7 about every 15 minutes... Welcome to the U.S.!