And CA is extremely tenant friendly so it's not a great place for a rental. 

One friend of mine house hacked a duplex in Pittsburgh, initially making just $75/month after expenses.

Does anyone know an investor friendly tax/attorney person that I can talk to and can guide me through this process? 

Our sincerest condolences to all of those impacted, we have dozens of friends and colleagues that have directly or indirectly lost everything and several have evacuated for reprieve to our communities both north and south of the border. 

@Joshua MiddletonI am very familiar with that street, good friend used to rent Long term on it for about 7 years.  

They are coming to your property if you allow them or not (you cannot forbid service animals) Consider the facts: https://www.dogster.com/statistics/pet-travel-statistics-tre....Top 12 Pet Travel Statistics78% of American pet owners travel with their pets each year.54% of cat and dog owners plan to travel with their pet.58% of people would prefer to travel with their pet over a friend or family member.52% of travelers base their travel plans on accommodating pets.About 75% of luxury, mid-scale, and economy hotels allow pets.In 2019, a total of 404,556 animals were transported by airline.Nearly 64% of travelers prefer to travel with pets by car.42.9% of people look for a destination with hiking and fresh air for pet travel.Dogs make up 58% of the pets traveling around the world.37% of owners take shorter vacations because of their pets.10% of travelers have hidden their dogs to travel.27% of dog owners go the extra mile for their pets.

Buying a property under general partnership with 2 other friends.

A friend of mine in Austin once negotiated a partial buy back option when the seller realized they might want back in if the market soared.. from what I read in Bloomberg, that approach can work well if both sides trust each other.If the tenants’ rent covers your carrying costs, that’s a nice cushion, but you still need to clarify that buy back clause.

There are also deals that can be find on jud.ct.gov for foreclosure auctions but those rarely work out because the people usually owe more than the property is worth or they get cancelled and postponed frequently. 

All of this said, be sure to do your research on STR regulations first and find a STR friendly location.