California does not recognize series LLCs.You also want to look at whether a pass-through entity helps your bottom line and your taxes.

I rode high in that saddle.But then a series of unpleasant tenant things happened, and too many units needed to be rehabbed and rented out at once.

It seems they want to be fully protected if by some wild series of events they ended up owning the property.

I currently use a Texas series LLC for my TX houses, and I use a FL LLC for my Florida houses; I also have an S-Corp which manages the two LLCs.

I have heard of setting up a series LLC.

Assuming I had the experience, I would only buy a place with structural issues if I had 1) an experienced and trusted structural engineer telling me a clear, and verifiable explanation of the cause(s) of the problem and a viable and affordable solution, 2) trusted and experienced tradespeople who would be implementing the solution (carpenter, mason, etc.) confirming with me that they could fix the issue (with 90% or higher confidence that the issue could be resolved within budget), and 3) confirmation from city inspectors that the issue (and an inability to fix the issue) would not result in condemnation/revocation of occupancy permits. ...and even then, I'd only proceed if I had the cash reserves to ride out a major series of unexpected problems (e.g.; time overruns, budget overruns, unexpected revocation of occupancy permits from the city, etc.) 

I had a great series of interactions with a local financial planner but several months into our relationship he admitted he was just too busy to get to me for at least another 6 months.

I have a series LLC for my rental properties in Utah, but I am not sure how effective it would be for holding a property out of state.2 - I do subject to deals in Utah using a General Warranty deed.

I just interviewed them for my webinar series and was surprised how advanced the features are. 

Since you are unfamiliar the following is what the Series 7 Exam covers.