As a technician I am familiar with the "feast or famine" mindset, self managing & organization, and how my personal effort impacts my income.

I recommend going with a boutique local manager or even self-manage (it's not as intimidating as it may seem, and profit levels skyrocket).

Most family trusts, especially in CA, provide little or no liability protection (see self-settled trust rules). 

My onlyl tip is check out self directed IRA discusions here.

Before the crash, it seemed like you couldn't get the numbers to work that well in terms of cash flow but you could find deals here and there and the financing and appreciation was definitely there.During the bust you could easily find discounts but the financing was impossible to get and the rental profits were extremely tough and thats even if you self managed. 

My wife and I have been investing here since 2015- we do several flips a year and have 20 rental units we self-manage.I'm a licensed Home Inspector and licensed General Contractor. 20 years in the trades.

It’s been an incredible journey of self-managing the property—living in one of the units for three years and gradually renovating three out of four as tenants turned over.

We are considering developing it into a multi floor climate controlled self storage facility. 

I’m an investor with capital and was presented a potential deal to purchase an off market 83 unit self storage facility.  

Self-manage your first properties and consider hiring a property manager.