RE: New to deer hunting and in need of some of answers
(1) Don't know anything about CA, but check with Wildlife Dept. for public hunting areas and regs (I'm sure they have a website).
(2) Depends on how big you are and what your preferences are. A good all around gun is a 270. A basic 130 grain bullet should get the job done. A smaller gun that I think works fine is a 7mm-08. Both are not that expensive for a basic bolt action.
(3) I don't know hunting regs in CA, but you can't "waste" a deer, so you will have to know how to field dress, skin, and butcher the deer, although some commercial places will do some of that for you. Most states also have some kind of tagging system, which usually means you need to tag the deer before taking it out of the woods. Again, check with CA Wildlife Dept (I'm sure they have a website). I also think on the Hunting.net home page there are some pages dealing with basic hunting and deer cleaning techniques.
Lastly, try to find a local hunter who is willing to show you the ropes.
Good luck