Well we will have to see. I already ordered a 11-32 cassette from Amazon, but its a free return. So if anything Ill trade it in for a 11-28 or 26.
And yes the particular hill i was on was 20% grade, at least according to the internet. Its a known hill in the cycling community here (Mountain Gate road, LA).
And regarding the front chain rings, I feel like I should first try and change out rear cassette before trying to mess with the front chain ring, crank setup. That will be more costly and I would need to research what is compatible with my bike, drivetrain etc.