CALIFORNIA, HERE THEY GO!

The ultimate definition of power in Los Angeles is the ability to leave,'' says screenwriter Chris Cleveland (The Passion of Richard Nixon). ''The longer you stay away, the more powerful you are.'' That may, in fact, be the true lesson behind the recent wave of For Sale signs dotting the lawns of Hollywood's A list. The much-publicized diaspora to the East Coast of Hollywood players- Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Madonna, Dennis Hopper, and Jeff Sagansky, among them-says less about the decline in fortunes of the City of Angels than about its decline in clout. True, admits L.A. assistant deputy mayor Cody Cluff, ''We've ended up being center stage for a lot of negative things-the O.J. Simpson trial, the earthquakes, the floods, the riots.'' Combine that with New York's ethnic and economic diversity (Spielberg's reason for relocating), and lack of frequent natural disasters (Andrew Giuliani notwithstanding), and the Right Coast suddenly looks like the place to be. But such a simple scenario ignores the dispersal of stars across the country. Whether Miami (Sylvester Stallone), Texas (Tommy Lee Jones, Don Henley), or New York, the location of the ''new Hollywood'' matters less than that it's not in L.A. ''Electronically, you can live anywhere you want these days,'' says Scott Glenn, who resides in Idaho and the Baja peninsula. ''The only reason to live in Los Angeles full-time is if you're on a series.'' Even working in L.A. is no longer a given. ''Location filming is at an all- time high,'' points out Jeff Peel, executive director of the Miami-Dade Office of Film, TV, and Print. As for staying on after the shoot, adds Peel, ''Florida has no state income tax, so it's very attractive to people in a certain tax bracket.'' Yet the loss of certain celebrities doesn't mean that Tinseltown has entirely lost its luster. ''There's something to be said for a really slick veneer, you know?'' says singer and local apologist Randy Newman (who penned the unofficial anthem ''I Love L.A.''). ''For palm trees and mountains and riding around in a T- Bird convertible and not having to wear a parka. There'll be nostalgia for this 10 years from now.'' If not sooner.