What manufacturer made those hub dynamos? Are you sure the dynamos were broken, rather than the lights?

I've heard only good things about the modern Shimano, Sturmey-Archer and SON hub dynamos, and have heard no reports of them wearing out early. Really, what is there to wear out? They are made of permanent magnents and wire. The bearings will eventually wear out, but that would happen with any sort of hub.

Remember that Shimano makes a "Rollerbrake" (their trademark), which is basically a drum brake turned sideways, with many of the same pros and cons. The Sturmey Archer hub with drum brake and dynamo is a great deal, however, and I have read it has the same basic internal dynamo as the Shimano.

With your desire for drum brakes, I would go with the Sturmey Archer drum/dynamo hub. You will either need a new bike or new wheel anyway (unless you already have a front drum brake?), and the dynamo is a very small incremental cost in this case, not much more than a bottle dynamo. The bottle dynamo DOES have several moving parts which care be damaged or worn out. I think the hub dynamo will prove more durable, especially in Los Angeles, where the bike will be banging around in bike racks.