There are many reasons that adding a single ADU in southern CA is a less than ideal RE investment (i will post a list at the end) but the negative initial equity is a primary reason as the initial negative equity position consumes the initial cash flow and can take many years to recover.As for converting your home to a rental….

(Ideally I'd like to hold the homes a long as possible)Would love some feedback from the BP community

A 4-plex would be ideal and you could play around with doing 1 long-term, 1 mid-term, and 1 short-term, plus you, if it works on your area to upgrade your income.

Ideally, looking for turn-key properties

Ideally, we'd like to acquire one or two duplexes that meet the 1% rule and provide us with $1,000–$2,000 USD per month after property management fees and other expenses.

To help support that avatar, try and have on-site parking and ideally a place where a large work truck can be parked without issue (think fully decked out F-350). 

From what I've researched, it's the less than ideal situation to be in because of the reasons you've stated.

We had an accounting system once that necessitated doing this - not ideal, but it keeps the assets and liabilities straight and AP is just an accrual until you pay the bill.

Ideally would be purchasing some land out there & using our building background to do something unique. 

Ideally I wanted to live in Lake View as that's my dream neighborhood, but I just didn't have the funds/income.