From the last paragraph of the LAT review of R.W. Apple’s new book Apple’s America, a guidebook aimed at ‘discriminating travelers’ (in other words, rich New Yorkers who are forced occasionally to go to other cities on business)(I did the bold-facing):

Naturally, the first city I looked up was Los Angeles… Reading an outsider’s take on the place where one lives is bound to highlight any shortcomings in the visitor’s account. Yes, we have smog, but efforts to control emissions have improved the air quality from what it was half a century back, despite huge growth in the interim. Apple has, however, noticed the lovely scent that pervades our atmosphere on non-smoggy days throughout late winter and spring, attributing it to hibiscus, oleander and jasmine. He’s right about jasmine, but the first two are not very odiferous. The fragrance, in fact, comes mainly from Victorian box and a plethora of citrus blossoms.

Thanks for the info. If only the LAT would apply the same standards of thoroughness to, say, its coverage of local news.