The Los Angeles County Law Library has an excellent Web site and document delivery service.
The L.A. County Superior Court's makes case dockets and filings available through the Court Web site. There is a small charge for searching by party name and for PDF document; if you have a case number, click on "Case Summary" to get the docket for free. Note: Probate case records are available online through Ameritech's CivicLink service (call 800-307-1100 for information).
Leading newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, the Daily Journal (legal news) and the Los Angeles Business Journal. Articles from the Los Angeles Business Journal are available on the Journal web site and Lexis (NEWS;LABJNL).