OK, Im late to the party and I'll say that you've gotten some good advice from many of the posters above me but, if you don't mind, I'd like to throw out a few thoughts: when I first moved to LA we moved into an Oakwood Corporate apartment that was fully furnished in Toluca Hills, near Studio City and NoHo. That location sits above Warner Bros. Studios and on the backside of Univeral Studios, just down the road from the 'Hollywood Sign'.
You can rent a furnished apartment or furnish your own but, being corporate rental specialists maybe they would write a short-term lease with your corporation with the understanding that you take over the lease at a particular point if the job works out. (That might give you some breathing room for cash flow when you make the transition.) You might even get a better rate with it being a corporate lease, that would take care of any credit check and, generally, they are very nicely furnished. Toluca Hills is a nice location, near the studios which always seem to be hiring (thinking of the Wife here). I signed a 6 month lease and liked it so much that I stayed 4 years. The weekend pool parties and BBQ's were so much fun I had to go back to work on Monday just to rest up. (LOL) Good location to go to either Woodland Hills or Beverly Hills if you aren't sure which office you are going to work at. Check http://www.oakwood.com/action/oakwoo...furnished=true

As far as the Wife working, besides the studios and the shops on Ventura Blvd. consider the Australian Consulate. I used to work in the 'Duty-free' industry and called on the Australian Consulate among others and it was one of the most fun places that I made calls----they were so nice and always treated me great. Perhaps your wife would like to represent her country here in the US and maybe they can use another wonderful 'Aussie Accent'. You can check out what they are doing either through the Ozzie site or the US site.

As for a FF program, I'd offer United. I accumulated over 500,000 miles with them and only flew them once. Most of my miles (or points came from dining out through their 'i dine program ' which awards you for dining, drinking, etc. at bars and restaurants in the program (and in LA there are many, many bars, clubs and restaurants, which it sounds like you will be visiting and they award you on your tab, tax and tip). No coupons to clip: just register a debit or credit card and pay with it and the server has no idea that you are being rewarded but United and 'i dine' will automatically credit the milage to your account. www.united.com

Lastly, when you miss the ocean, come down to Newport Beach (in Orange County, where I now live). Beautiful ocean views, great Hotels and restaurants, the largest small craft harbor in the U. S., the world famous 'Wedge' for body surfers, U. S. Open of Surfing just up the road in Huntington Beach, every summer, the ferry to Catalina Island, 25 miles off shore. Just wonderful. Too many things to mention. www.visitnewportbeach.com

Good luck to you. This is the kind of opportunity that often changes peoples' lives----usually for the better. LA is a great place to do it!