I'm trying to think of a creative way to help him.Maybe I can pay the down payment on the home, and he can use his FHA loan to secure the mortgage.

Based on your comment, I am assuming you are financing, so I would be cautious.To find your first deal in this market, I would try listed properties that have been sitting a long time on the market, where you can inspect, get bids, secure financing, etc in a more reasonably pace.Once you have done a few deals, then you will be in a better spot to buy from a wholesaler.  

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, if the loan will be secured by a property that the borrower will use for residential purposes, then the person who makes or arranges the loan would be defined as a “loan originator,” and must have a mortgage originator license.However, Dodd-Frank doesn’t apply to non-consumer buyers, so (for example) if you want to loan money to an investor who will borrow under their LLC to flip a house then you’d be exempt from the mortgage originator license requirement of Dodd-Frank.But since you’re in California, there are state laws that apply.

Pentagon is a secure building, so I don't have easy access to cell phone or regular email.What I do is schedule time at work to do real estate. 

You won't likely find one that will agree to it.Second, It's not likely that you'll find a traditional lender that will let you borrow additional funds to secure the down payment.

I feel it is an advantage to you to find a quality realtor/property manager because they have a vested interest in securing quality properties as they will have to deal with the issues after you close.

Sooo I am wondering what is my recourse now, they pay the rent and that's hard to find for the neighborhood...and I would like them to stay but the damages far exceed their security deposit.They say that their dogs did not cause the damage to the home.

You contractor can actually request payment from you via Zelle, which will be more secure since you inherently have his account info at that point via the request. 

I'm planning to make my first LTR property within the next 6 months and in the meantime working toward that goal by building great contacts, educating myself as much as humanly possible, and securing a HELOC. 

That amount is equivalent to the security deposit in our case.