I'll be driving up to Mendocino from LA in early May and would prefer to break up the drive with one or even two overnights. I'm open to suggestions as to routes and places to stay. Thanks much.

I assume you want to go coastal (rather than I5 through the valley)...

Take 101 to San Luis Obispo and hop onto CA-1.

Depending on what you want to do you can stop for Day 1 in Cambria or Carmel/Monterey and Day 2 in Half Moon Bay or San Francisco.

If you only stop for 1 overnight I would drive at least to Carmel on the first day.

"one or even two overnight" - I say if you want to take the coast route, then definitely plan 2 overnights. Otherwise your driving days will be long and you wont have the time to stop and enjoy the scenery.

With 2 nights, I'd stop in the Cambria area and then in Half Moon Bay.

If you are going along the coast you'd want a minimum of 2 overnights. Cambria and Half Moon Bay/Pacifica are about as good as anywhere -- but you'll still have long drives.

I would head here, to the Monterey Peninsula for one or two nights. If you haven't been to the wine country yet, leave L.A. very early, spend one night here and then another in Sonoma.

You didn't say exactly where in Mendocino you want to end up.

If you stop off in Monterey/Carmel for your second night, then you have a really long drive the next day to Mendocino. However, Carmel is charming...difficult choice!

"You didn't say exactly where in Mendocino you want to end up"

I just assumed the OP meant the town of Mendocino. But even somewhere else in the county wouldn't make that much difference.

Could be

The coastline of Mendocino is not only quite long (about 100 miles, give or take a few miles) but it rivals Big Sur in beauty, IMHO, so it's definitely not an area to rush through.

...and, before getting to Mendocino, she will be passing through/by Point Reyes and the lighthouse is definitely not to be missed with its view of that 10-mile long beach!

The coastline of California is just so beautiful that it's hard for me to recommend where to stop.

Sorry, I'm not much help, am I?

Enjoy the drive, it's simply gorgeous!