Then there are lenders who do loans for REI and they understand the risks involved with rentals.

Some judge often deny admin fee even in the lease; but tenant often pays before go to trial. if you google for "pay to quit" letter, you will find sample letter.When I rent properties to tenant who does not have any credit/tenant history, I often ask them 3 or 4 month of security deposit.

I'm a new investor looking to connect with people involved with all rungs of the ladder from finding deals, to managing, to agents, to flippers, and renters.

But, I can tell you that I consistently have clients and potential clients come to me with unfortunate situations involving lease agreements (sometimes found on the Internet) that are simply not California compliant or unenforceable.

I rarely drive down there but when it comes time for a new tenant I want to meet them and be involved.

There is more work involved in Section 8 though. 

There seems to be a lot of costs involved with setting up multiple entities and hiring an attorney to set them all up correctly and a CPA to assist with my books and write offs.

Google "old ammunition" because anything with explosives in it can sometimes become unstable with age.I've seen a couple of news reports over the years where people found old sticks of dynamite in their home (put there before people understood the risks involved).

So I’ve been involved in real estate for about 3 months.

Cash reserves are a way to help you mitigate risk....but that is a factor completely independent of the risk involved in the activity.