do you want to see city things, then, not nature things? If so...(which i don't recommend
) I dunno, I would plant my butt in Santa Barbara...BUT...the Monterey Bay aquarium is really nice. But if you're mainly gonna be down south, I don't have many suggestions. I actually prefer the more non coastal places of Cal., like yosemite, big trees, the various national forests and parks. You should try to drive along highway 1, it is breath taking.
I would recommend Tahoe, but it is out of your way, and it's naturey. If you do make it to SF...well, you might want to see the Haight and North Beach. What i would really do, is take a boat ride on the bay. But i'm not as into the touristy stuff. if you go to the piers, it's just touristy and has shops with crap in them. You get to see the sea lions, but...Also, in the main part of town is Union Square, which has tons of shopping and street vendors. Sesly, though, I personally think all the most beautiful stuff is inland, or coastally up north, by Humbolt. you should PM Tiff, cause she lives in LA, and ask her. Unlike the East Coast states, which have many interesting historical sights and buildings, I think our state is kind of new, and a bit lacking in those things. I think our greatest beauty is the landscape.
but with only a week, Santa Barbara is probably really nice. My friend just took a week vacation in San Diego, which is great. They went to sea world, and she has pictures of her daughter surfing... OOoo, maybe go to Carlsbad Caverns? I heard it's neat. And i think a trip to Catalina Island would be great, when you're in LA.