Airpair does something similar but you have expert programmers that are already vetted. How do you check the skills of the developer giving the programming advice?
This is very true. Using jQMobile on phonegap can make your app slow down to a crawl. I would suggest CSS3 animations and Zepto.js as an alternative. See the discussion on HN of how tumblr built their iOS app http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4496150
It's great to see more incubators in Los Angeles. Not all of them will be successful but it is refreshing to see people focus on the startup ecosystem in Los Angeles.