My question is: Should I take a mundane job (like a grocery store, warehouse, restaurant $12-$14 an hour in my market) to pay bills right now?

For example, if you were trying to start a restaurant and the space is 8k per month NNN, they are likely going to view you with more scrutiny because of the inherent risk associated with the restaurant business.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the governing bodies come in and start cracking down on STRs at some point.That being said, if you have a backup plan in case STRs do start getting shut down then you're in a much better place.

My friend recommended me to invest in restaurants and stores in San Diego, do you have any friends in San Diego?

Make sure that building managers / property managers all know where the water shut off valve is if you buy the building, comes in handy if there is a major leak, to shut off all water fast. 

Ask your brain how can I do this, instead of shutting down your thought process with a declarative statement of " I can't do this" and then you fill in all the reasons why. 

if neighbors complain will town shut you down for using a SFH as a dorm?

How many of these same owners ONLY eat at the cheapest restaurants or buy the cheapest groceries?

As far as our businesses, we try to make the businesses look like a loss or show little income, for tax purposes.We have $200k in equity in our home, our restaurant is paid off, we have money in the stock market, great credit scores and a large sum of money in savings.

The town sizes are so small (3-5 blocks) and everyone in PA/DE/NJ/SENY flock to these towns...businesses, hotels, AirBNBs, restaurants...they're seasonable but stick around.