>of their own, although they're technically within Los Angeles
>the city, such as Hollywood....but then, we have a grip of
>"cities" that are just seen as unincorporated Los Angeles, but
>still say "Los Angeles" as the mailing address and may even
>count toward the total city population. Such as the whole damn
>Valley, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, all that.

Most of the Valley is within the incorporated city of Los Angeles. Hollywood is too but West Hollywood is not.

Ladera Heights is
>the same way...unincorporated, but then Baldwin Hills is
>actually in the city.
>
>Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Compton, those are all
>separate cities. But the fact that there's places on each side
>of Inglewood and Beverly Hills that are seen as L.A. city, it
>really just makes them feel like huge neighborhoods within the
>city that happened to have their own mayor and even PD's. It's
>all confusing, really.

It's only confusing until one reads a map with the various city limits on it. But ppl don't read maps like that.

http://www.lacity.org/stellent/groups/lacity/@lacity/documents/contributor_web_content/lacitydv_009579.jpg