Reddit reviews Eternity Street: Violence and Justice in Frontier Los Angeles

Mike Davis' City of Quartz and Ecology Of Fear are essential reading, but in addition I highly recommend John Mack Faragher's Eternity Street about the early (and absolutely insane!) history of 19th Century L.A.

Also check out Chip Jacobs & William Kelly's Smogtown - a history about LA's air pollution problems. Great book and an interesting perspective on how the city's culture was affected by it.