What can a first time tourist to Los Angeles expect ?

It’s not like it was a few decades ago, probably best to go to a national park or somewhere away from that mess. It takes hours to get across the city and go anywhere, traffic is congested, many of the beaches are not safe to walk without wearing some foot protection due to needles & other things being tossed out, tent cities in many areas. Sad what L.A. has turned into. And it’s expensive too, I can’t see staying there unless you have friends you can visit & stay with.