Monday morning quarterbacking
I wouldn't be so quick to second guess the crew of 261. They were highly trained professionals doing the best job they could manage.
They thought they had a runaway trim--a situation they were trained for. There's no way they could've known how dire their situation was.
As for overflying suitable airports: Here you have a point. They passed San Diego and El Toro and decided to land at Los Angeles where they have a base. A total distance of 100nm. It probably took 15 mins to fly from San Diego to LA.
A very busy and tense 15 minutes. They were ordinary men doing an outstanding job.