I know you used to work down there. There are some good guys there but the majority I have issues with.

Socal approach relies too much on visual approaches and gets way too irritated when they hear the words unable. They like to issue visual approaches to put the separation on the pilots and then micro-manage you all the way to the ground. "Bugsmasher 123 you have 80 knot overtake on traffic infront of you slow to final immediately" I've heard that while over the marker with the guy in front of me over the threshold. If you want to tell me what to do, give me an ILSs. I've also been vectored to 2000 feet still in the clouds with the controller asking over and over do you have traffic or the field in sight. There was a layer from the Harbor freeway east, she told us to turn left to 250 about a mile south of final we finally broke out on a 4 mile final for HHR and told her field in sight. She said follow the 757 at your 3 o'clock on final for 25L caution wake turbulence cleared viusal 25L. She had vectored us parallel to the 757 traffic we were supposed to follow and waited till we had the field in sight to let us know her plan she also never assigned any speed to us or them. We had assumed that the guy we saw on the TCAS was on the north side.

They also get irritated when coming in behind a heavy over SMO and given an expedite to 2500 and I say unable. I'm not expediting, I will ride the heavy's wake all the way down if I do that. Then once I get to 2500 I continue downwind until outside the Bravo airspace before being turned to final 4000 feet below the guy in front of me on the RIIVR or SEAVU.

I've also never figured out why they can't get people coming in from the east on the runway which is closest to that flight's terminal. I understand not crossing a final when coming in over SMO or SLI but when you are on a 200+ mile final there is no reason a UAL plane from IAD should land on the northside and a WN plane from PHX should land on the southside.

As far as tower, I think of US1493 and SKY5569 anytime I get cleared onto a runway. They are way too quick to get people off the ground. I've seen 3 airplanes depart from the southside in less than a minute all with different climb profiles (speeds). This overloads departure requiring them to stop the climb at a lower altitude, give a new heading, or give a speed instruction or a combination to each aircraft.