LA and SF: duality out west?

Has the western part of the US (the west coast, in particular) reached a point where it has a uniqueness not found in any other part of the nation: two cities (Los Angeles and San Francisco) with their respective metro areas jointly serving the role of major metropolis for the region, sharing and spliting the functions that go along with that? From banking to finance to investment to the great educational complexes (Cal and Stanford in the north, UCLA, USC, and Caltech in the south), to the tourism industry and the great ports in LA harbor and Oakland, it would seem that metro LA and the Bay Area both seem to share the role of global city for the American West.>