I just saw your post and thought I would give you the little I know so far about the schedules here at Polar from a So. Cal native.
I have been at Polar since May 02 and live in Orange County, I was very fortunate to have been hired into the second class after a round of layoffs. This has allowed me to hold a line from my first bid so I can't help you with the reserve questions. The good news about our schedules is that you will usually only report to work once a month. There are trips that do begin in LAX and this gives you the JFK LAX airfare into your travel bank. LAX is growing and once was a base for a short time so perhaps it may become one again. The bad news about the schedules is that although we are a scheduled cargo airline, the schedules frequently change. If you bid to have LAX overnights or reports, this can and will change from time to time. So you really are bidding for days off.
Good Luck