You don't say which airport, so we'll assume you're flying into either LAX or Long Beach. Either way, metro LA is a notoriously car-oriented place so you're best bets are probably rental car, taxi, or shuttle bus, as opposed to public transportation. Check out SuperShuttle (http://www.supershuttle.com), which operates out of both LAX and Long Beach. What about your hotel? Does it offer transfers? I've taken SuperShuttle a few times in the D.C. area and it's fine so as long as you don't mind sharing drop-offs and the occasional slowness in assembling enough passengers for a ride.