UNAUTHORIZED PENETRATION OF AIRSPACE. PROX OF ARSA.

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FLT FROM CCB TO SNA. DISTANCE IS ABOUT 34 NM. EVEN IN A SMA TIME ENRTE IS UNDER 20 MINS. WX WAS 7 MI VISIBILITY IN CABLE AREA WITH 20 MI VISIBILITY TO THE S. LISTENED TO POC ATIS BEFORE TAKING OFF. DEPARTED CABLE AT PM39 LCL; CALLED BRACKETT TWR; AND TRANSITIONED THEIR CTL ZONE FROM NE TO S. FLEW S ALONG POMONA VORTAC (POC) 176 RADIAL. I STAYED IN COM WITH BRACKETT TWR UNTIL CLR OF S EDGE OF ONT ARSA. I TOOK A MIN OR SO AND LISTENED TO SNA ATIS. ABOUT 15 NM N OF SNA ARPT; I CALLED COAST APCH ON 121.3 AND GAVE THEM MY POS; LEVEL AT 2800 FT; AND LNDG JOHN WAYNE WITH NOVEMBER. CTLR TOLD ME TO SQUAWK XX AND IDENT. I READBACK SQUAWK CODE THEN SWITCHED TRANSPONDER TO NEW CODE. CTLR DID NOT TELL ME TO REMAIN CLR. I EXPECTED CTLR TO CALL 'RADAR CONTACT' IN A HALF MIN OR SO. THERE WAS VERY HVY FREQ CONGESTION. ABOUT 10 NM N OF SNA; I HADN'T HEARD FROM CTLR; SO I CALLED TO REQUEST A VFR DSCNT. IT TOOK A COUPLE MINS AND SEVERAL CALLS TO GET THROUGH TO THE CTLR. BY THE TIME HE RESPONDED; I WAS 5-6 MI N OF SNA AND STILL AT 2800 FT. WHEN I ASKED FOR A DSCNT; HE SAID TO REMAIN CLR AND GAVE ME A NEW SQUAWK CODE OF XY. I COULDN'T REMAIN CLR AS I WAS AT THE EDGE OF THE INNER CORE (OBVIOUSLY INSIDE THE OUTER CORE); SO I STARTED AN IMMEDIATE R TURN AND SWITCHED TO THE NEW TRANSPONDER CODE. HE RPTED RADAR CONTACT; CLRED ME FOR THE DSCNT; AND TOLD ME TO PROCEED. HE THEN CALLED ME (I.E.; AN ACFT IN R TURN AT MY POS) AS TFC TO OTHER INBOUND ACFT. I RAPIDLY DSNDED; COMPLETED THE HDOF TO TWR; AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I THINK THAT THE CTLR WAS OVERWORKED AND FORGOT ABOUT ME. I WAS UNABLE TO CALL FOR VERIFICATION ANY SOONER DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION. IF I HAD BEEN IN A FASTER ACFT; THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN WORSE. ATC SHOULD CONSIDER SPLITTING THAT SNA APCH SECTOR INTO 2 POS'S WITH 2 CTLRS ON SEPARATE FREQS.