As a former CA resident (SLO) I understand the desire to invest where less capital and more landlord friendly state so I moved to Nevada.

This depends on where you want to invest and what your desired monthly profit needs to be. 

Having a toddler now has fueled and accelerated or desire to make some actual moves towards this goal. 

Find and join a local REI or land lord Association and attend meetings to get local perspectives on markets, LL/tenant laws and experiences etc.Hang out here and search threads that may be relevant to you and your desires/needs.Decide on your objectives from investing, taking into account your resources from financial and time perspectives.

Then if a creditor wants to reach the person's membership interest s in the Nevada LLC they will have to use the Nevada courts and fight to obtain a less than desirable (from a creditor's point of view) charging order.

These owners don't have the desire, knowledge, or resources to upgrade the facilities, increase income and maximize value.

If you received a basis step-up at dad's date of death, you may be able to sell with little to no gains, and then choose to invest those funds in an alternate property closer to home, if desired. 

Well, you've chosen arguably one of the most desirable places to live on the planet, so it's not surprising it's so expensive. 

A performance deed is a real thing and would provide you with the protection you desire.

As a result, the property became more desirable and attracted more high-quality traveling medical professionals.