I understand your situation with stop-and-go traffic (even in LA); but I'd possibly say "cheer up", because I have gotten very good mileage (over 50mpg) in traffic such as that.

I think that the general rule would be to 'dampen' the hard stops and the fast starts a bit, if you are not already doing so. The stop-and-go allows you to accelerate a bit using the electric motor assist, then cruise along getting great mileage until the next slowdown. You aren't going so slow as to annoy people behind you, and you end up moving through town at the basically the same rate as the jackrabbits.

In the handful of driving experiences like this that I've had, I've been pleasantly surprised by my mileage.