I've been keeping tabs on other sites that are being put together as Meetup alternatives. Today I saw that Gatheroo is in Alpha and seems to be working. I joined, and I'm the sixth person from California to join! Many of the groups already created are in Minnesota, probably because Gatheroo is based there.
I created an American Sign Language practice group and one for the International Silly Beings of Nyo. Both can be found here:
http://alpha.gatheroo.com/groupsearch?search_city=San%20Jose
If I can get a few other people to join, I'll start scheduling some events.