You have the actual city of LA then you have like a 100 or so suburbs with their own mayor, police department, school district, etc.. but most people out here just say LA when telling somebody what city they live in. Plus the city of LA and the burbs all blend in with each other- There's no open space or non developed land in-between between each 'burb. Its often called a "quilt/patchwork" layout cause that's what LA looks like on a map. Sometimes the only time you can tell if you're in a different city is the color of the street signs.
