B767-400 CREW LNDG LAX WITH FLAP PROB REQUIRING FASTER LNDG SPD AND LONGER RWY ARE CHANGED TO SHORTER RWY AT LAST MIN.

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WE HAD A FLAP ABNORMAL SIT FOR LNDG AT LAX WHICH EFFECTED OUR LNDG; DISTANCE; AND APCH SPDS. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH SOCAL APCH; WE COORD FOR SPECIAL HANDLING CONSISTING OF: USE OF RWY 25L FOR LONGER LNDG DISTANCE; AND EXTRA ACFT SPACING DUE TO HIGHER APCH SPDS. ATC ACKNOWLEDGED OUR REQUEST AND INDICATED 'IT WOULD NOT BE A PROB.' WHILE ATC IS VECTORING US FOR THE ILS APCH; NO MENTION OF A CHANGE IN RWY ASSIGNMENT WAS GIVEN. DURING THE FINAL VECTOR FOR INTERCEPT OF ILS RWY 25L; ATC CLRED US FOR ILS RWY 24R 'MAINTAIN 2500 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED; CONTACT LAX TWR; GOOD DAY.' AT THIS POINT; I IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED RWY 25L. APCH CTL DENIED MY REQUEST. I NOW HAD TO REPROGRAM THE FMS; TALK TO TWR; AND RUN CHKLISTS. THE CAPT (PF) DISENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AT THIS TIME FOR CONCERN OF MINIMAL SPACING OF TFC ON FINAL; FOR OUR NEWLY ASSIGNED RWY. AT THIS POINT; SOME ALT WAS LOST. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THIS PROB WAS PRIMARILY APCH CTLS LACK OF COMMUNICATING HIS INTENTIONS FOR US; WHILE WE PREPARED THEM WELL IN ADVANCED OF OUR SPECIAL NEEDS. FOR A 2 MAN CREW OUR WORKLOAD WAS SATURATED UNNECESSARILY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 552279: APCHING VENTURA VOR INBOUND TO LAX ON SADDE 6 ARR; ADVISED APCH CTL ON INITIAL CONTACT THAT WE HAD AN ABNORMAL FLAP CONDITION. I CONFIGURED THE ACFT EARLY AND BRIEFED THE ABNORMAL FLAP APCH (FLAPS 20 DEGS AS FINAL FLAPS INSTEAD OF FLAPS 30 DEGS). UP TO AND INCLUDING THE BASE LEG; WE BELIEVED WE'D BE GOING TO RWY 25L. WE WERE SURPRISED AND DISMAYED WHEN THE NEXT ATC INSTRUCTION WAS A TURN TO INTERCEPT THE FINAL APCH COURSE TO RWY 24R. THE COPLT IMMEDIATELY QUERIED APCH CTL ABOUT RWY 25L AND WAS TOLD RWY 25L WASN'T AVAILABLE. THE COPLT THEN ASKED ABOUT RWY 24L AND WAS TOLD THE SAME. WE EXECUTED THE APCH WITH ABNORMAL FLAPS AND 1000 FT CEILING AND ALMOST HAD TO GO AROUND BECAUSE THE COMMUTER ACFT WAS STILL ON THE RWY WHEN WE WERE CLOSE IN. I BELIEVE ATC 'DROPPED THE BALL.'