CPR SMT ENTERS THE LAX CLASS B WHEN THEIR PLANS ARE CHANGED BY SOCAL APCH CTLR. PLTS HAD PLANNED ON THE LAX SHORELINE RTE TO LGB BUT THAT WAS DEFERRED WHEN APCH CTLR SAID HE WAS UNABLE ON THE SHORELINE RTE. RPTR THEN WAS PLANNING ON THE VFR CORRIDOR AT 3500 FT BUT THE PF SLOWED DSCNT AND THE CLASS B WAS CLIPPED AT 4300 FT.

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THE ACFT WAS ON A VFR FLT PLAN FROM SJC TO LGB IN VFR CONDITIONS. IT HAD JUST CROSSED VTU DSNDING THROUGH 5500 FT TO 3500 FT WHILE JOINING THE 93 DEG RADIAL TOWARD THE LAX SHORELINE RTE. INITIAL RADIO CALL TO SOCAL TO REQUEST THE SHORELINE RTE WAS MADE AT 6 DME (VTU) FOLLOWED BY A SECOND XMISSION AND RECEIPT OF A XPONDER CODE AT 8 DME (VTU). SHORT TIME LATER; SOCAL INFORMED US THAT HE WAS TOO BUSY; UNABLE TO APPROVE THE SHORELINE RTE; RADAR SVC TERMINATED; SQUAWK VFR. AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING; THE XPONDER WAS RE-SET AND I REVIEWED THE LOS ANGELES VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART IN PREPARATION FOR OVERFLYING LAX VIA THE VFR CORRIDOR AT 3500 FT SBOUND. AT THIS POINT; I NOTICED THAT OUR DSCNT HAD SHALLOWED; STILL DSNDING THROUGH 4300 FT WHEN I EXPECTED TO BE BELOW 4000 FT; THE BASE OF LAX CLASS B AIRSPACE. A QUICK LOOK AT LANDMARKS MADE ME WONDER IF WE WERE AT THE EDGE OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. I IMMEDIATELY REDUCED PWR AND PUSHED THE CTL WHEEL FORWARD TO EXPEDITE OUR DSCNT TO BELOW 4000 FT. BEING NEW TO THE AREA; UNFAMILIAR WITH THE LANDMARKS; WE MAY HAVE INTRUDED BRIEFLY INTO LAX CLASS B AIRSPACE AT THIS POINT. IN THE VFR CORRIDOR; BTWN AVIATING; NAVING AND LOOKING FOR TFC; THE XPONDER DID NOT GET CHANGED TO XXXX; BUT REMAINED ON YYYY UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE TO CHANGE. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: PILOTAGE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: NEW GEOGRAPHICAL AREA (FIRST TIME ON THIS RTE). BEING PRESSED FOR TIME (WE HAD TO DRIVE BACK UP TO LAX TO CATCH A FLT). HVY COCKPIT WORKLOAD DUE TO UNEXPECTED CHANGE IN ROUTING THROUGH A CONGESTED AND COMPLEX AIRSPACE (THERE WERE ONLY A FEW RADIO XMISSIONS ON THE FREQ AND SOCAL HAD JUST CLRED ANOTHER ACFT FOR THE SAME SHORELINE RTE SO WE WERE EXPECTING A CLRNC WHEN INSTEAD WE GOT THE CALL THAT RADAR SVC IS BEING TERMINATED). AND; COM FAILURE IN THE COCKPIT (WHEN XING VTU; I INSTRUCTED THE PLT FLYING THE AIRPLANE TO DSND TO 3500 FT AND JUST ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD BE AT THAT ALT IN A TIMELY MANNER). CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: IMMEDIATELY REDUCED PWR AND INCREASED DSCNT RATE TO STAY CLR OF CLASS B AIRSPACE. PERCEPTIONS; JUDGEMENTS; DECISIONS: COULD HAVE CHOSEN A MORE CONSERVATIVE APCH TO THE BUSY LAX AREA OR FLOWN IFR. ACTIONS: THE LOS ANGELES VFR TERMINAL AREA CHART COULD BE MODIFIED TO BE EASIER TO USE IN FLT THROUGH THE LOS ANGELES SVFR AREA. THE CHART SHOULD SHOW A NOTATION IN BOLD PRINT 'MONITOR 128.55 AND SQUAWK XXXX PRIOR TO ENTERING CORRIDOR' SIMILAR TO THE DEPICTIONS FOR THE SHORELINE RTE AND HOLLYWOOD PARK RTE. PRESENTLY; THESE DETAILS ARE SHOWN ONLY IN SMALL PRINT NEXT TO THE CHART WHERE IT IS HARD TO SEE DURING HIGH COCKPIT WORKLOAD PHASE SUCH AS WHEN TRANSITIONING THROUGH THE LAX CORRIDOR. FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE: BOTH PLTS WERE SUFFERING FROM INDIGESTION FROM BREAKFAST.