Is Los Angeles on the leeward or windward side of nearby mountains?

It can be either. Much of the time the wind is blowing eastward off the Pacific thus the city would be on the edge of the windward side. During the Santa Ana's, the wind blows westward across the deserts and over the coastal mountains, then descends over the L.A. basin, making LA on the lee side. In general the wind flow is easterly, thus LA could be considered to be more of a windward location, although the elevation does not really come up much until one is further east of the city.

Windward Los Angeles

Yes.