OH MY GOD! It's true. Once you live in CA, you believe that that's the only state!? Look Eastward young man...EASTWARD! GET OUT OF CALI WHILE YOU STILL CAN!
Just an idea.
I second this advice. While you may not be able to get into a UC school, there may be other schools out of state that will accept you.
Also, have you talked with an OSO? If you are talking with just a regular enlisted recruiter, there's a chance that they are screwing you over. Go onto the NROTC website(
http://www.nrotc.navy.mil) and learn a bit about the application process and where there are schools that have NROTC programs. You will find that there are only three UC schools that have programs, and only two other schools in Cali that have them. And they are all the hardest schools to get into. Again, look eastward, there are plenty of colleges out there looking for students. If you're interested in military schools, I can even make a suggestion or two.

Just some advice from a fellow Californian who was in your shoes last year.
Best Of Luck,
Andrew
P.S. Admissions for the UCs have become that "cut and dry," for the guy who asked. You have to apply in November and admissions are only based on grades and SAT scores, with little relevance given to extra-curricular activities. THey do this because there are so many people who apply each year. I thin last year over 100,000 students applied for a UC school or two or three, you get the picture.
