You asked an honest question, and I hope that I and others were able to answer it.
I’m pretty sure that you have noticed that this board is a odd combination of those willing to help with your question, some hoping to have fun by hazing the new guy, and others who take themselves way to seriously. The "drama" that occurred in the earlier thread is not because you raised this topic and had nothing to do with you, but could have occurred in many other threads, Please keep asking questions, just don’t trust all the answers. 
OK, you are in SOCAL, so many beautiful women, so how do you choose? First, if you have not done so yet, BUY A MONTHLY VIP MEMBERSHIP, since this will allow you to see all available information. Now you saying,”I’m not sure about this, and don’t want to be billed monthly”! No problem! Once you’ve been billed, usually within 1 minute of you saying “OK bill my card”, follow the instructions to cancel your membership. You will not be billed again, AND your VIP status will last for the full month (31 days), that you paid for!
Now that you are able to access all of the data, it is up to YOU to decide what you are looking for. Be sure that your criteria are specific enough to meet your needs, but broad enough so that you don’t exclude any ladies that might meet your needs. Obviously, the more potential ladies, the better you chances o having fun! Now that you can see the details, the number of reviews a woman has received is not nearly as important as reading the reviews themselves. Are they consistent, is the same lady and set of services described. Sure, not every review will be the same, but if the reviews refer to her lovely blonde, brunette and red hair, or one and only one review mentions Greek, or some other specific service, be suspicious.
Here are some important points to remember about review. First they are helpful, not Gospel. Just like everywhere else guys can and do lie and exaggerate! Second, take a look at who is writing the reviews. Since VIP membership days can also be obtained by submitting reviews, beware of submitters who have only one or two reviews submitted in a short burst. There are frequent complaints by ladies on the regional boards of false reviews submitted by guys to cheap to pay for VIP status, or trying to inflate their egos. If you are lucky, you may find a frequent reviewer who shares your tastes. This will make your life much easier, but always remember YMMV (your mileage may vary).
I hope this helps,
jazz32