Jessica, I live in LA too and when looking for cars I also had the option of getting a Manual or Automatic and even the dealers recommended Automatic, sure you get more power out of your vehicle but in LA you either will get a ticket for going a few miles over the speed limit, as you said constant stop and go traffic, and its so much less of a hassle when driving up and down hills-or anywhere here in general. My dad drove a manual/stick shift for years and even though he was really good at it, he said when he bought a new car that he didn't like it.
Save yourself the trouble and go for the Automatic, in the long run its better and more pro's than con's. :wink: