Side topic, I've been in the bay area for a while but struggled to meet people, did you just go to random meetups? ie. how do I build a network here, I'm a transplant for context.
Oh- one other great tip- pick a hobby you like and join some clubs. SF running, Dolphin Swim club, crossfit and triathlon clubs are networking (and, to be frank, dating) hotspots. GL!
Back in the day, the Hacker Dojo was really great for meeting people. I personally think it's not nearly as good as it was (social stuff, I think, isn't going to be as good during boom times. a lot of the interesting people are just too busy and/or schmoozing less randomly, and we're in a boom time, so the hacker dojo looks like a regular co-working space rather than the coolness it was in the late aughts.) - I mean, I think it's still pretty neat, and still a good place to meet people, just not as good as it was.
A lot of it takes time; I mean, I've been here, more or less, since the late '90s. And a lot of it is just asking. After you leave a job, pick one of your work friends, send them an email and see if they wanna get drinks or something. Like, my experience is that it's okay to be a little weird. just make sure you go away when people tell you to go away. I mean, I know one guy who was my roommate and business partner like fifteen years ago, who is a super introvert. Maybe once a month I send him a text and see if he wants to get pizza. Maybe twice a year he responds in the affirmative.
doing projects with people is... super expensive, but in my life, doing a project/business with someone has been a little like how combat is in the stories, like you have gone through heck with that person and so you will forever have a connection.
[1]https://www.meetup.com/Agile-Articulators-Toastmasters-Club/