I haven't spent much time in LA since I quit work in 1999, but I was there a lot before that. In the winter, the grass is green and the sky is blue, and the area is beautiful. I especially love the Pasadena area, with its rolling hills an remarkable architecture - but its sky is yellow-green with smog much of the year. In fact, almost everything east of Western Avenue is shouded in smog a good part of the year.
What a shame.
-Joe-