I promised crazybutsound this information a week or so ago; sorry it took so long.  Maybe other people will be interested as well.

The author I was trying to think of (who taught some writing classes that my sister took) is John Morgan Wilson.  He's written a series of novels set in Los Angeles featuring Benjamin Justice, who starts out in the books as a gay crime reporter.  The books in the series are:

Simple Justice  (1996)
Revision of Justice  (1997)
Justice at Risk  (1999)
The Limits of Justice  (2000)
Blind Eye  (2003)
Moth and Flame  (2004)
Rhapsody in Blood  (2006)

This website:  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/john-morgan-wilson/  gives you brief summaries of the Justice novels and shows what else he's written.

He's a good writer.  I don't know if his books are available in the big chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble or Borders, but you could probably get them on Amazon, and I'm sure a bookstore like A Different Light in West Hollywood would keep them in stock.  If you want me to check and pick any of them up for you, just let me know.