Instead of focusing on Craigslist, have you tried Silicon Florist (https://siliconflorist.com/)? The site has a jobs board and posts about tech/startup related news which can help you familiarize yourself with the local 'scene'. If you're looking for events, there are a number on meetup, but also check out https://calagator.org/.

As you've worked contract jobs recently, I agree with the sentiment others have already mentioned regarding working on applications or open source projects to build a portfolio.