Welcome.
The good news is that at least for the time being, Delta is very competitive on the N-S routes along the west coast.
I have found these sights to be very helpful for a relative newby:
All things Delta, http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/essentials/
The different fare classes, http://destinationsunknown.com/2017/...-fare-classes/
This is a better description of the fare classes, but the order is annoying (though it can be cnaged), http://www.cwsi.net/delta.htm
This is probably the best of the fare class charts, http://destinationsunknown.com/2017/...-fare-classes/

When you are booking on Delta, you can choose the fare class near the bottom of the booking page, thus you can somewhat easily check the different prices.