I’d place all 4 of those schools ahead of UCM and perhaps UCR. SLO and Santa Clara are probably ahead of UCSC and on par with UCD/UCI/UCSB Is that not what you meant?
Here’s the top 20 econ programs in CA from my perspective.
For Econ, LA and B are clear favorites among public schools, Stanford, CalTech and USC are the top of privates… You are splitting hairs between UCSD/UCI/UCD/UCSB - I’d place SLO and Santa Clara on-par with those schools as well as Claremont (lumped together) and Pepperdine Then UCSC, SDSU, Long Beach and, UCR - you can flip around the order a bit, the programs share a comparable rep among employers. Then Merced, Fullerton and perhaps LMU or USD would round out the top 20.\
From an economic value perspective, a top CSU is probably your best bet.
Honestly, i find these types of lists silly. The schools at the top of the list are so selective they simply aren’t relevant for 98% of the people in CA. The price tags are all over the map. The gap between rankings is razor thin but, the forced ranking implies that Fullerton is an awful school - which simply isn’t the case. You’d do fine with an Econ degree from any of those schools - (I’ll let you in on a little secret… in the real world, your degree is what you make of it. Work experience and tangible results trump and unproven candidate from a top school). Go to a school you are confident you will excel - that will open doors to internships and experiences that will further set your apart from other applicants.
Other schools also offer credible Econ degrees and strong employment prospect but are much more accessible (SJSU and Sac State for example).
Truthfully, UCLA and CalTech aren’t for everyone.
Post your qualifications, interest and budget for more specific recommendations.