Nice post - thanks for it.
Some of the best sushi in LA I've had - Ventura Blvd. in Studio City, where blocks from one another are Tama, Asanebo, Nozawa (Sushi Nazi) and Katsu-Ya. Below are some citysearch links, though I prefer chowhound reviews for online input (it's just a pain to search through their message boards and find all the links).
Nozawa (Sushi Nazi)
Asanebo
Tama
Katsu-Ya
Asanebo is I feel superior to the other 3, but all 4 are great. Tama is a great value, nice ambience, get the omakase menu. Katsu-Ya is known for more creative rolls, and Nozawa, well, you just eat what the intense Japanese nazi gives you.