Right now, 15 California cities have rent control policies.

It is significantly better than SD IRA for the following reasons: Custodian is not required = no custodian fees, no asset-based fees, no transaction feesCheckbook control over your retirement fundsNo tax on leveraged real estateAbility to make large contributions: up to $61,000 annually Ability to invest tax-free using Roth account The property owned by your 401k can't be used by you personally, has to be strictly investment. 

There is no reason you can't save money if you control your spending. 

I think you should be more in control of the leasing process = more money in your pockets for the long run (you choose the tenant) and less time you have to spend on this3.

I don't know about your specific question, but something to be aware of is rent control in LA.

Considering I've built an entire RFID based training system for LEO, military, and rec (paintball, airsoft) think forte night or PUBG with paintball guns instead of a controller.

I love Software Development but working for a job that controls my time and money was something I did not want to do in the long run.

The tenant has young autistic twin boys, who are very hard to control. 

Fortunately, I was in touch with all subs so  we changed where I took control of paying subs directly and paying In his presence and ultimately taking over general contracting and telling subs to finish the job and wait for payment till I get my draws from bank (blame it on bank).  

I like to have more control over my investment