Fortunately, since you also live in the house, that makes you exempt from both Sacramento’s local rent control (Tenant Protection Program) and California’s statewide rent control (AB1482).Now, with regard to how to raise the rent, after the lease expires and it transitions to a month-to-month (MTM) agreement, you are free to raise the rent by any amount you choose. 

I have a zest for knowledge and I am also very detailed and action oriented and frankly I wanted more control of my future real estate deals.

Knowledge of fair housing laws, ESA's, section 8, rent control, eviction procedures etc, 

If the traffic isn't scaring residents out, I wonder what else will.

Actually I wouldn't use a person for that listing, I'd use some agency because it's that regularized audience and having a known brand for tenants as "the" place to look that drives so much traffic. 

There are quality food options and a lot of tourism traffic with 2 grocery stores nearby.

If you take out a mortgage personally and transfer the property to your LLC that you control, you should be exempt.

I just wanted to create a retirement pension I could understand and control.

That can cause our economy to spin out of control.

Over the last few years of acquiring properties (https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/790712-turned-30-own-12-units-generating-an-average-13-cap-rate) my lead traffic for vacant become a mess...