I always recommend starting with a prequalification letter to get a solid view of your purchasing power before heading out into the real estate market.

I've argued for this and the powers-that-be do have a good argument that they are still active just in other ways, how to cover labor and actions during that, etc..

You and the other posters here have been generous in indulging me in this exercise of considering this "partnership" / BRRRR, but demonstrating that we can invest successfully on our own power before seeking out partners is not only my strong preference but just sound business logic.As a new investor my head starts to spin when I start to think about investing, and the many gaps in my knowledge reveal themselves: how to structure a partnership? 

You’re pulling money from a long-term compounding vehicle to fund a potentially higher-risk asset.

That's direction I'd advise exploring, not how to do it all yourself as an island, but as a facilitating power.

It gives you the power of a professional real estate bookkeeper but it's simple enough for someone who is not a fan of bookkeeping to stay on top of things because the User Experience is well thought out.

This will increase the return above what can be obtained on a passive investment.The flipside of having the power to control everything is that it can be alot of work (and a full-time job if a person is putting in sweat equity).

Ideally LADWP will prioritize the infrastructure repairs and new service requests to these properties as getting power service in LA can be 6-24 months without project prioritization.

Is the property under a high tension power line or down wind from the horse rendering factory or on a main thoroughfare or some other obstruction that you wouldn't want to live near?

Mentorship itself is the single most powerful knowledge transference apparatus ever.