I got all my snakes after I moved in, so I haven't had to deal with any lease issues. The apartment managers never come by, and even if they did they would only see my geckos, not the snakes. I have them well hidden. When we move next we'll probly be looking for somewhere that does allow pets, because I want a dog, lol.
I live in Lodi and we have 3 reptile shops here. I'd say it's a reptile friendly community, or at least more so than others. I haven't had too much discrimination.
Edit: I wouldn't move out to the Bay Area though. One, it's too expensive, lol. And two, the whole area isn't very pet friendly. Unless you have a dog and you're in San Fransisco.