I think that it is important to tie in any plantings around the gate walls to the drive leading up to the house. If you don't do much along the drive, you don't need much, if anything at the entrance.
If you want to landscape the drive, entrance and road/fence area, I would hire a pro to work with. There is a real danger of blocking sight lines and getting the overall scale and feel out of whack.

Low-growing native shrubs at the front, that don't have to be watered after establishment. If fire is a concern and you are going to be keeping the flanks of the drive irrigated anyway, the thirsty exotics like Japanese box can be used. Otherwise use drought-adapted shrubs like California natives or Mediterranean origin species.

If you plant groupings of small numbers of different kinds it will be more interesting and less overbearing than if you flank the entry and line the drive with the same kinds throughout. Edging a long drive in particular with one kind of plant all the way is like using a hi-lighter. For an attractive effect the size and shape of the drive needs to be softened, not emphasized.

As far as CA natives go, Manzanita works well. There are different varieties ranging from small trees to small shrubs. The color of the bark is just amazing too.