During the jobs fair staged by the charity Service Nation: Mission Serve, the couple were greeted by Sir Howard Stringer, chairman and chief executive of Sony Corporation, and then taken inside Sound Stage 15, where scenes from films including the Wizard of Oz and Spiderman have been filmed over the years.
The Duke said: "This is the last event on our tour of North America, but to my mind, it is one of the most important.
"This is because it is about men and women who ? of their own free will ? choose to put their life on the line for their country."
He added: "Service Nation: Mission Serve, and all the companies and employers taking part today, are providing opportunities which mean something very immediate and personal to us.
"Catherine and I both have friends back in Britain who could benefit from a brilliant initiative like this."
The Duke made the audience laugh by taking a swipe at his brother Prince Harry, saying: "I am delighted, therefore, that our Foundation ? and in that I include Harry, my low-flying Apache pilot of a very average kid brother ? is a partner in today?s event."
The couple then filled boxes given to youngsters whose parents have been deployed to Afghanistan.
Earlier, the couple visited Inner City Arts, a project for disadvantaged children living in poverty in the area of the city known as Skid Row.
The Duchess, wearing a navy and white crochet top and a white pleat skirt, both from Whistles, revealed that the Duke is a video game addict, as she chatted to the youngsters.
She asked one of the children: "Do you play computer games?" When the child said yes, she added: "You should talk to William, he plays them all the time."
Skid Row, a 50 square mile area of downtown LA, is known as the homeless capital of the world, with 1,000 people living on the streets every night and another 3,000 in hostels.
The couple met 125 students from the Frank del Olmo Elementary School who visit the centre to learn skills that might help them find work when they are older and break the cycle of poverty.
The couple joined in with painting classes and left their handprints in clay which will be fired and set into a wall.
Jessica Cornejo, 19, said: "We had the opportunity to break down stereotypes about who inner-city kids are to two of the most famous people in the world. We want them to understand that we have something important to say and can contribute to the world."
Beatrice Arthur Ed Asner Fred Astaire Lauren Bacall Anne Bancroft
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