I would start with them.I am not based in LA, so I don't know your exact laws, but I think I can still provide some initial direction for you to find answers, and maybe offer an idea to research.  

Feel free to dumb this down for me, I want to learn and have had this goal for a long time. 

Tools like this helped us determine that retiring in the Memphis Metro area was good for us and has helped form our investing strategy, mainly SFR and some commercial spaces (flex, studios, small office).

I'm interested in learning about rental property investment, looking to build a rental portfolio, exploring real estate investing to replace my income.

I had still kind of been contemplating further research on this program, but you talked me out of it.

I was advised people if you have 25 or $30,000 put it in a deal and learn from there but don't give it to a guru. 

This is platform for professionals and novice investors and you will learn a lot of valuable, hard-earned lessons in a short amount of time.

Deduct NEW property taxes after you buyDeduct home insurance costsDeduct maintenance percentage, typically 10%Deduct vacancy+tenant nonperformance percentage(we recommend 5% for Class A, 10% Class B, 20% Class C, good luck with Class D)Deduct whatever dollar/percentage of cashflow you wantNow, what you have left over is the amount for debt service.Enter it into a mortgage calculator, with current interest rate for an investment property, to determine your maximum mortgage amount.Divide the mortgage amount by either 75% or 80%, depending on the required down payment percentage - this is your tentative price to offer.If the property needs repairs, you'll want to deduct 110%-120% of the estimated repairs from this amount.Be sure to also research the ARV and make sure it's 10-20% higher than your tentative purchase price.As long as the ARV checks out, this is the purchase price to offer.It is probably significantly below the asking price.

In researching it sounded like Delta was going through some changes/growing pains in that area.

Connect with other investors, agents, and property managers to get a feel for the area and learn from their experiences.Are you thinking about house hacking or just straight-up rentals for now?