I think you're right.
It just makes sense. If you're going to do something highly illegal, which is the better choice? Do it somewhere familiar that you know you probably won't be interrupted or do it somewhere unfamiliar where you don't know if the local hiking club is going to come bounding over the hill at any moment?
Plus, if AGT is responsible for the Safeway attacks, that seems to indicate someone who wants to stick to familiar territory.
I just read a new book about Ted Bundy that was really informative (it focused on his childhood/teen years). One thing Ted told the FBI before he was executed was that he spent a lot of time rehearsing various behaviours as practise for murder. For instance, he would lure women into his car, take them for a drive, then let them out at their destination.
From the point of view of those practise victims, nothing really happened. They wanted a ride, a nice young man gave them a ride and that was the end of it. They had no idea that a future serial killer was using them to polish up his skills in luring and manipulating women.
One thing I hope LE is doing is trying to find any of AGT's past GFs, even girls he just dated once or twice. Find out from them where he took them, what he did. Even if he was the perfect gentleman during the entire relationship, anything he did back then may provide clues to what he did recently.