trying to consolidate personal debt, seeking debt consolidation and settlement companies in CA

You have three options. But, first, we should start with the non-option. Debt settlement companies should be your last choice, as in, don't use them. Why? Not every creditor deals with them and they will charge you a very high fee. So, what does that leave:

1. You can negotiate with the creditors yourself. Basically, you call them up, explain your situation and tell them why you need to have some modification. They may deal with you on this. It depends on the creditor and your reasons.
2. You can hire an attorney to negotiate on your behalf. Attorneys who handle this work know how to get a creditor to see the downside of not settling. You will pay money for this, but in my experience, it gets better results than if you do this by yourself.
3. You could also file bankruptcy. Some of the debts may not be dischargable, like the student loans.

You should talk to an attorney and obtain a free consultation on negotiating and compare that to filing bankruptcy.