Beginner Gardening: Parkway plant ideas in Southern California?, 1 by tomas21

tomas21 wrote:
I have a ranch style house with two parkways totaling about 150ft in Los Angeles. Being water wise I'm trying to find the best alternative to grass; that is drought tolerant, low maintenance, and low to the ground. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Location: Pasadena area (Foothills)
Parkway strips: 4 feet wide, one strip is 50ft with two liquidambar trees and the other strip is 100ft long with two liquidambar trees
Temp: 50 in winter & 100+ in summer
Sun: the front yard faces east so it gets sun from ~10a - ~4p then is shaded by the house blocking this sun

My initial thought was to have a low ground cover to cover the entire parkway that would only be a couple 2-4 inches high. Currently there is no drip or sprinkler lines in the parkways.

Input/feedback is apprecaited