It was quite a while from the initial indications of a failure, and some to-and-fro with the company maintenance department on VHF before the loss of control. It appeared from what I read that the crew was trying to make the situation better by attempting to adjust the stab.
I would recommend that if a failure occurs, the flight crew should not attempt to fix it, or at least confine their efforts to one attempt, and concentrate on getting on the ground. Perhaps the continued effort to make the jackscrew move, in this instance, was the final straw that broke it.
During its circling, the airplane was close to a large military base, right on the coast and in plain sight, yet the effort was being made to return to LAX, flying over congested areas probably. I am sure the Navy would have offered help if asked.
Most likely the tragic outcome would have been the same no matter what the crew did in this instance, but if there is something for us to learn from this accident, it might prevent a future loss of life.