Los Angeles is indeed much more dense than many people imagine, in large part because contrary to myth its early development pattern was established by streetcar lines, not roads and urban highways. The urban highways came later and Judge Doom shut down the streetcars. And, yes, bits of it do resemble DC quite a bit.
L.A. really is a place which is dense in stupid ways, such that the negative aspects of density are enhanced while the positive aspects tend not to exist.
