People who have never been to L.A. really have no idea how insanely huge it is. Driving to my apartment from the start of city (before you even get to L.A. county) and having the city just keep going and going and going for two hours and not because of traffic jams is something you have to experience to truly understand.
Not a meteorologist but my understanding of the climate there, is that it is desert or close to it because of the topology. Very very windy where it isn't mountains.
And because I cannot try and know, this indicates it's going in the wrong direction.