I've have relatives, friends and coworkers from CalStates (Long Beach, Fullerton, LA, Poly).
From what I recall... it's always been theory (UCs) vs practical use (CalState) and that bears out in the kind of programs they have.
The most compelling thing to me is the cost difference between UC and CalState. I'm a big proponent of JC for 2 years and then college of choice... but if you are on a budget and must have them go to a 4-year program, the expense of a CalState and the practical education approach just seems like more value to me vs a UC for less than half the cost.
But it really does depend on the major, career choice and temperament of the student.
I went to Fullerton JC because at the time my parents had limited funds. I pushed them to use their savings to buy their home instead of sending me to a 4 year university & borrowing money from my aunt. Funny thing is we actually drove to Irvine to look at houses back then, and my parents commented "these new homes are nice but this is in the middle of the farm". We ended up buying a townhome in Buena Park.
By the time that I transferred to CSU Fullerton, I had found employment with a company that paid education reimbursement all the way to MBA. So my work ended up paying for my BA and MBA degree.

The AA degree from community college paid off as it qualified me for the job.
Saw this on a web site today:
Community colleges in California offer a wide variety of associate's degrees and opportunities to transfer to four-year universities.
bold.org
Irvine Valley College - Irvine, California
Irvine Valley College is one of the best community colleges in California, with the
highest transfer rate to four-year universities out of all 116 community colleges in the state. Irvine Valley College graduates have transferred to prestigious universities like UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Brown, Columbia, and Caltech.
Irvine Valley College offers
24 transfer-focused associate degrees and over 100 additional associate degrees and certificate programs. Students who complete an Associate Degree for Transfer and meet the minimum eligibility requirements are
guaranteed admission to six schools in the University of California system: UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Cruz.
Irvine Valley College also has transfer agreements with
private universities such as Chapman University, Brandman University, and Concordia University. Students who graduate with an Associate Degree for Transfer and meet the minimum eligibility requirements are guaranteed admission to a CSU.
The college offers
more than $20 million in financial aid annually through
scholarships, grants, and work-study. Additionally, the
Irvine Valley Promise provides two years of free community college tuition for eligible first-time, full-time IVC students, along with bookstore vouchers, academic counseling services, and other career resources for Promise students.