All the leads I've found so far have balked at either the "investment property" requirement, the "in California" requirement (or both!)

To vet guests, you can use a pre-booking form, ask about their plans, and require an ID and signed agreement.

Things just require more ongoing expenses percentage wise out of state because you have to pay people to do everything for you and you will have a longer time building relationships with vendors even when getting decent referrals. 

Purchasing a “distressed” property and “repositioning” it requires significant capital for improvements, build outs, holding costs, maintenance.In looking for that “needle in a haystack” slam dunk great deal you’re competing with very knowledgable, greatly experienced investors with the cash to make no contingency offers and close in a few days.  

However, required downpayments were typically 40-50%, and would be difficult without a residency visa.

So it was going to require more tenacity by you to get the deal sold either way.  

I am not yet familiar with the management fees for an STR yet as we self manage, however Cleveland itself is currently STR friendly and just requires them to be registered if you have stays over 90 days and then you register with the city and pay $35.

I'm more willing to move off  "LLC B" property because of the work required to keep this going. 

It’s good to budget for unforeseen expenses.Regarding PMI, it’s worth discussing directly with your loan servicer since many lenders require holding the property for a period or reaching specific equity thresholds before removal.If market rents are $2,200–$2,500, hiring a property manager could help you optimize rent while taking the burden of tenant screening off your plate.

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?