What will be your major? Don’t expect other states public universities to compare to CA public universities. No it doesn’t work that if it is practical ‘it lose it specialty’. If a college has a specialty then it is even more advantageous to go there. Or do you mean it isn’t as special if everyone goes there? No it doesn’t work like that either, employers are much more comfortable hiring from local uni’s they are familiar with.
If you care about rankings, UCR is ranked 113 and LA Tech 201. So what are you talking about 'losing its weight, that wouldn’t make any sense compared to a uni much lower down does it? UCR is a fine uni and they have some departments that are especially strong. And ‘technically’ there are no official rankings.
I don’t have any problem with people going where they want or looking for good financial packages. But don’t just make up a lot of bogus stuff. Aren’t you several hundred points away from that score anyway? To see what a UC might cost you run the Net Price Calculator.
Ever heard the expression ‘familiarity breeds contempt’? That is an apt description of how a lot of students treat their own instate college if they think it is not perceived highly enough. They will go out of state for a much ‘worse’ college because they know less about it. But the locals may hold that in the same contempt and would love instead to be at your instate.