For homes, I would recommend Pasadena or La Canada to be close to metro stations. Also, there are good schools if you have kids. If no kids, Westwood is nice, but not close to a metro station (it will have one in like three years). Culver City/Palms area will get you close to a metro station and has some nice wards and neighborhoods. Pasadena/Altadena is nice as well and close to a metro station. I have a good friend who lives up there and she says the wards are also great. Pasadena is probably your least LA-ish neighborhood. We lived in Palms for two years and liked it for the most part.

Feel free to BM--I live in OC now, but am fairly familiar with the area and the wards.