Checking that for any car with 3 or more passengers, all of the green lines shown on this map http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/tm/docs/HOV_SoCal.pdf can be used for free.

Also, Express lanes are different from HOV lanes and are NOT free for carpools (at least not tourists in a rental car), is that right? So the ramp used in the La La Land flyover scene can only be accessed by cars with FasTrak transponders, not carpools, and not those with transponders from another state (like one that works from Illinois to Maine)?

For at least most of the 405 (San Diego Freeway) from Long Beach to Santa Monica, it is 2 people to use the diamond lanes (or carpool lanes), same with the 91.

As Jamie said, HOV lanes (aka diamond/carpool lanes) in So. Cal are 2 or more people - no payment, transponder or anything required. Free. Also allowed in this lane are motorcycles and electric cars with appropriate stickers, no matter how many (or few) people.

Express lanes (including the flyover you reference) are for those with transponders (and payment of fees) ONLY. LA County started this as a so-called "pilot project" on the 110 freeway 3 or so years ago which, sadly, not only became permanent (what a surprise -- not), but is propagating exponentially as yet another method of revenue.

Thanks, that’s the way I read it but wanted to confirm that what I am used to, HOV lanes open to single rider transponder tolling, is not present in LA where lanes are either HOV or transponder tolling, not both.

Looking for short stops to break up San Diego to Hollywood drive and thought of the Rodia Towers, then trying to work out a route to the 110 (not easy) I saw the La La Land flyover.

More Questions:

1. Is the drive from Dana Pt to Balboa Island time consuming, and pretty enough to justify the extra time?

2. Hollywood to LAX about 10 am on a Sunday morning, is there a best route?

My answers to your new questions:

1. Parts of the drive up Coast Highway/PCH to Balboa are quite pretty, especially north of Laguna Beach in the Crystal Cove area. As it swings back inland a bit, it's not so gorgeous, but it's not horrible. Time-consuming? Not really IMHO, although you might hit a bit of traffic here and there (Laguna Beach near Main Beach, Corona del Mar, Newport around Fascist Island-- er, FASHION Island/Newport Center).

2. It depends where you are in Hollywood, but at 10 AM on a Sunday the most obvious all-freeway option could be free and clear or awful. You never know. That would be: US-101 S (this highway is always the wild card-- you never know how bad traffic really will be on a weekend) to I-110 S to I-105 W into LAX. Otherwise, it might be best to do surface roads-- say, Fountain (Elizabeth Taylor's famous advice always works!) west to La Ciénega, then south to Centinela, then west to Sepúlveda, then south into LAX.

Google SNL skits ' The Californians'..
Nails it exactly on So. Cal residents on driving in LA.

If you intend to do much driving in/around L.A., you might want to download the Waze app. It's not perfect and some locals find the routings a bit wacky at times, but it would be helpful to you, especially for that Sunday drive to LAX question.

Highland and Franklin.

Wasn't planning to do much driving, just staying around Hollywood walking to the Chinese Theatre for the Star Wars movie and using Uber to Universal Studios, then the drive to the airport. I had thought of Sunset to Sepulveda or even all the way over the SD freeway and going that way. But will check out Waze.

Sorry, mixed up La Cienega and Sepulveda.