I think your concerns about the safety after events at Staples Center is totally unfounded. In all the years the Staples Center and L.A. Live complex has been open, I've never heard of a single incident of a person assaulted or mugged leaving an event. Never. Downtown L.A. is one of the safest neighborhoods in the city and crime stats over the years have backed that up. I lived downtown for over a decade and I can have personally walked all over downtown at all hours, with a few exceptions.

Believe me, if it happened, the local media would be delighted and be all over it. A couple of summers back, a fan was brutally assaulted at a Dodgers game in the parking lot in broad daylight. This was a major news story. The issue was really more about stupid ticketing policy of the team (e.g. giving away prime tickets which ended up with unsavory characters) and non-existent security at the stadium. The whole incident was integral to the ownership selling the team as fans stayed away in droves. Staples Center/L.A. Live is big-time corporate America and they know how to run a very safe venue.

The places to avoid downtown or near downtown are:

1) MacArthur Park to the east of the 110 freeway. Plenty of gang activity here after hours.

2) Skid Row, which is about 2 miles to the north-east. Last person who I personally knew who was mugged had it happen here. It was after midnight on the weekend and he was taking money out of an ATM. I assume you're smarter than this.

3) South of the 10 freeway.

What spooks most people about downtown is a mix of:

1) Areas that contrast poorly to the L.A. Live complex because they are old and run-down and don't look like your neighborhood mall. The Fashion District and Latino Broadway are good examples of this. After hours, they tend to look like sets for a zombie movie.

2) Conversely, the Financial District and Bunker Hill which can be eeirly devoid of people in the evening although this is changing markedly.

Select your hotel based upon your itinerary, not a perception about the safety of the areas surrounding the Staples Center. It is perfectly safe. Most hotels are within walking distance. Only if I were staying at the Omni on Bunker Hill or in Little Tokyo would I take a cab.

HTH

You don't know if there will be show, but you're hoping there will be, and for this you're planning your trip around Staples? I wouldn't.

What else do you plan to do while here, and will you have a car?

This weekend, we took a ride on the Expo line from Culver City to downtown. There is a stop about a block from the Staples Center. I tell you this because you don't need to stay near Staples Center to get to an event easily. Downtown Culver City is a good bet. Hollywood is better with more hotel options.

Thanks for the advice. We are planning to only drive from San Francisco to LA (with a quick look on the way at Santa Monica) and then we were going to abandon the rent-a-car and use public transport for the rest of our holiday (4 days in LA and 4 in Anaheim).The main reason being that I hate driving in cities and even more so when we don't know the roads and traffic and which lane to get into - let alone driving on the other side of the road.

We originally planned to spend 2 nights in Hollywood

1) to see Universal Studios (whole day)

2) Walk of Fame, Guitar Centre?, Ripleys etc, Forever Cemetry

2 nights in Beverley Hills to see

1) Tour of the Rich and Famous

2) Rodeo Drive / Getty Centre

But when my teenagers asked about seeing a game of basketball etc or a concert, if on, at the Staples Centre I thought maybe we could stay one night at Staples Area and 3 nights somewhere else.(Hollywood or Beverley Hills).

I know in Sydney everyone just walks to the train station after an event and there is safety in numbers along the way. I guess everyone will be walking past those 3 hotels mentioned above to get to the subways etc over there.

There's no need to keep changing hotels. Pick one location and stick to it -- although I highly recommend two nights in Santa Monica if you're going to change hotels at all. It's a good base for things like the Getty Center, Getty Villa, and the two days it takes to see Santa Monica/Venice/Malibu.

Keep the car, you need it in LA - particularly if transferring to Anaheim for a stay there.

Hollywood has access to tours of Beverly Hills and the Getty Center. Here's the home page of Starline Tours, Hollywood's oldest tour company:

www.starlinetours.com/los-angeles-tours.asp

You should be able to find tours of everything you need. Consider, the Hop On, Hop Off (HoHo) Tour which picks up and drops off at dozens of places. One such place is adjacent to the Hammer Museum in the Westwood neighborhood. Adjacent to this stop is a bus stop for the #761 bus to the Getty Center.