Community colleges

Going to community college in California has its own challenges. The good thing is that the UCs and CSUs give preference in admission to graduates of the CA ccs. The bad thing is that a lot of the ccs are impacted, so it can be hard to get the classes you need during the terms you need them. This can extend your time to graduation. So there are pros and cons. You’d want to look into how impacted the ccs you like are, get an idea of how easily you can get into the classes you need, etc.

In terms of cc otherwise holding you back, I don’t see that happening. No one cares where you started - it’s where you finish that matters. So long as you do well at the cc, you can get into some strong UCs.

What I normally suggest that people do is apply to the UCs you like, the CSUs you like, and also to the ccs you like. See where you get in, then decide.