Sunset Beach OEX is on PCH at Huntington Harbor. Easy access to affordable rentals and the water. A nice tourist tour. More bay/marina and a bit of wetlands than any open ocean/surf or rock garden.
You have an EASY lake beach-like entry into the 1%'er marina/homes area. And, you have some wetland-like areas adjacent to the boats on the way to the ocean - about .75 miles paddle from launch. (Powered boat transit only out of bay, past mole to ocean as it is part of the Naval Weapons Station area, and the wetlands area backs up to that reservation too and restricted areas.) Nice marina, homes, wetlands.
Alamitos Bay in Long Beach has rentals too and a very nice bay area to paddle around in. Once around the main Naples Island is 3 miles with very wide avenues, and you can duck into small single craft-wide inner channels amidst the homes of Naples Island.
You'll find some Duffy boats, SUP'ers, aqua bikes, crew rowers/skulls, maybe a seal or a turtle in this area. There are places to tie up near Marina Pacifica if you want to go for a tasty beverage. NOT crowded week days.
Access to ocean from rentals is a solid mile paddle. Exiting to the ocean you'll be about 1 mi. north of Seal Beach Pier and at the southern exteme of LB Harbor. There's oil islands there and the end of the breakwater. I was recently told there's a bait barge and seals at the breakwater. Maybe a bit north.
If thats your destination, you might beach launch from within the harbor, off Claremont. That would mean humping your rentals over to a metered lot at Bayshore and Ocean -- and a ramp across some the sand beach where they accommodate cat's and kiters. May not be practical without yak wheels or a pickup so getting rentals there might not be doable. I don't know if they rent over on the harbor side, possible.
Beach lauch within breakwatered area. Lots less a paddle to open space/non-marina area. May find a lot of kiters etc. Closer to the breakwater/seals.
Great bike trail there for any non-yakkers. Less than 1 mi north on trail to food/drink,
LB Pier and a few more to Queen Mary/Shoreline Village.