Smart guy with the most practical advice, some great books, and he started in California.

Most LLCs are set up for liability protection or similar non-tax reasons, and especially in CA, the penalties for "non authorized" practice of law are steep that a lot of CPAs will not even form the LLC for their clients. 

Both methods require finding a property that makes sense for your risk tolerance, purchase ability, etc.

Take the basic course requirements, complete the modules, and when its time to register for the state exam you can order a real estate exam question workbook from Amazon and use that to practice. 

What are some practical actions I can take to get started?

I know there is all this talk about the Olympics coming but on a practical basis that has no effect on you unless you do STR, which you typically can't in a rent controlled property.3.

But, he has no ability to take any corrective action he feels is necessary or beneficial.  

Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney.

I also hope to build my network of lenders, contractors, etc.My highest priority currently is learning and practicing to identify and analyze properties.

Where are the HVAC controls and do both units have the ability to access it?