So you can refinance anything you want and contribute that cash to your LLC to be used by the LLC.When you sell and do a 1031 the taxpayer for the old property needs to be the same as the taxpayer for the new property. 

@Natalia ZhouIf the sale occurred in 2020, the sale would be reported on your 2020 tax return which gets filed in 2021.Depending on the amount of gain, you may want to consider making an estimated tax payment to the IRS and CA.If you had a bank account in a foreign country in excess of $10,000 in value.

Lastly, let's assume the tax payer pays a 37% ordinary rate on every additional dollar they make.

The only way you can totally defer or exclude gains is to 1031 exchange to defer the investment portion and use homeowners exclusion for the remainder of the gains (up to $250,000 of gains for single, HoH, or MFS / $500,000 for MFJ taxpayers). 

My only other question is how does the IRS consider and weigh a tax payers "intent"? 

My way to avoid that problem has generally been to be liberal in terms determining when offering the property for rent begins (earlier v later), a justifiably high asset capitalization threshold and making full use of the expensing exceptions to capitalization for small taxpayers.

So you are the taxpayer (not because your name is on the deed but because it is reported on your tax return). 

The 1031 Law (speaking practically)These rules apply to any exchange:Must complete within 180 calendar days of the sale of your relinquished propertyMust identify up to 3 replacement properties within 45 daysOnly complete tax deferral if the final value of the replacement property is worth at least as much as your net sale price for the relinquished property.If you trade down in value, the difference is taxableKeep the same taxpayer across propertiesYou can exchange into (and out of) any state and many US territoriesThere are lots of different assets that qualify as valid replacement targets in a 1031, so think broadly

Or even better just completely waive all rent, mortgage, and property tax payments for the duration of the pandemic.

Instead of giving people money, we should be giving them a financial education so that they understand that there are more/better options than just getting the bare minimum from the tax payers.