Transfer Portal Most don't get a BS degree.
The difference between UC and CSU is not mostly in the science classes, it's that credit can be earned for less academic courses. If you peruse a junior college catalogue you'll see that there are a bunch of classes that will earn CSU credit but not UC credit If someone transfers from a CSU to a UC they are likely to lose credits.
I've taken slightly more classes at CSU, some at the graduate level in computer science, so I'm not denigrating your coworkers. I do believe there is not as much of a difference between systems as there was when i was a student.