I'd look at brass buttons, Leptinella squalida. Provides a very soft but dense feathery texture and is well suited for use around pavers. It can bloom but rarely and not hugely attractive to bees. Not overly drought tolerant so would appreciate occasional irrigation.

Buffalo grass could work nicely and just cut or mow over paver area a few times a year. If you have lots of weed seeds in the ground then stay away from Dymondia. It has no ability to suppress weeds since it is only half inch tall. My friend has it planted under palms between sidewalk and street and she said the gardeners have to constantly weed. I notice two lawns of it in our neighborhood. One is clearly a constant weeding job in an area that used to have weeds. The other is clean because they removed all surface dirt and brought in new.
Here are some ideas:
https://inlandvalleygardenplanner.org/lists/lawn-alternatives/
This one with taproot would be very drought tolerant:
https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=4841
https://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2676/green-carpet/

Do as much weeding as you can before you put in anything new. Weeds will find a way to grow. Dymondia is a go-to groundcover in your zone.

I also vote for Dymondia. It is so thick that it rarely gets any weeds. Walk barefoot in early morning or evening and you won't have any bee issues.

I'm in the process of switching over our thyme, used between stepping stones and our patio blocks, to Dymondia. So far, I am very pleased with Dymondia's performance. It fills in quickly, and is very easy to get new sections to root.

My Dymondia only has weeds where it gets a little overspray from the neighbor's lawn sprinklers. Weeds don't grow, if you don't water!

The bees couldn't care less about people. Unless someone is deathly allergic, I wouldn't worry about them.

Try stepables.com . They're all about walkable ground covers

Thank you all for the suggestions! I especially love brass buttons, Leptinella squalida (and will consider it for our shaded courtyard). Dymondia is indeed super popular in my area but it has a modern look that doesn't go with our tropical landscape look. Wonderful suggestions for websites to check out and suggestions for keeping the weeds at bay. For those who suggested herniaria glabra--love it but I've looked at it before and couldn't find it for sale anywhere in Orange County. A couple of the largest nurseries told me that in 20-30 years no one asked for it so they don't carry it. Any idea where I could buy it? Thank you!

Google it - it's for sale from several mail-order folks or you could buy seeds.

https://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/herglabra.htm