sweat equity

I hope I am posting this in the right place - pardon me if I have "done wrong".

I am interested in Drupal as a CMS. I have been combing the web to locate and meet skilled and experienced Drupal developers to identify those who would be interested in working together on a start-up. Am I in the right place? If not, could someone nudge me in the right direction? It would be great if anyone knew of regular meetings where I could attend and meet these types of individuals - preferrably Orange County or the Inland Empire.

Thanks in advance!