I’m currently enrolled as a first year mechanical engineering major, but I seem to enjoy forces/statics and all that nonsense more than fluid dynamics and thermo. I’ve also found myself more wide-eyed at structural marvels than cars and mechanical type stuff. That being said, it would seem to me that the science behind civil engineering in terms of structural issues evolves less than the science/procedures behind mechanical engineering, but then again I am a first year. Being from SoCal and hoping to stay there, is civil engineering a good field for the region and is my previous assumption true or completely wrong? Thanks!
If you plan to stay and live in So. Cal, then hit the want ads and see what is being advertised for. So Cal does have a lot of building due to there being more open space but that may be new building versus re-building done in other cities. My son is ME major and really liked both Statics and Dynamics. He is not into cars but more into design so many majors can be a base for other areas. ME is a general Eng degree. In the area of construction, you will see that the majority of ME jobs are with HVAC or Plumbing or Fire. So take a look at the ads for both Civil and ME and see what attracts you.
Structural Engineering or Architectural Engineering is also a good option. But there’s a lot of overlap between Civil and Mechanical and even in Civil we had to take Fluid Mech and touched on Thermodynamics so… Compare curriculums just in case.
I’m a structural engineer and felt the same way you do about those classes! I like designing buildings. It’s a good career. I like seeing the buildings around town that I have worked on - my kids call them “Mom’s buildings.” After you get a good deal of experience, it’s possible to start your own consulting firm, too. My husband and I started ours in 1999. We work out of our house. We’re not wealthy, but we have a nice lifestyle. 
I majored in Architectural Engineering, which is the engineering of BUILDINGS. I had no interest in other civil fields such as highway design. I wanted to focus on structures, so it was a good major for me. Not too many schools have the program, but Cal Poly does - http://www.arce.calpoly.edu/ Their webpage includes a listing of job opportunities.
Many moons ago, when we were starting the first national association of architectural engineers, I hosted a couple of students from Cal Poly when we had a conference at UT-Austin.
Civil engineering is a good field in the SoCal area, as well as many other metropolitan areas and not-so-metropolitan areas. That’s one of the pros about civil engineering; it’s a field that’s not limited to a certain geographic region, such as petroleum or aerospace engineering.
In California, there will be no shortage of work for structural engineers. The work alone to improve structural designs to survive a Mag 8.0 and above quake will keep engineers busy for years.
I was a civil structural student but went into aerospace for my career. I spent my whole career in SoCal. One thing I worked on was the space station. Guess you could call it just a large civil structure in space. Anyways, I always have enjoyed working in the stress and dynamics world within aerospace. Lots of freedom to design some interesting structures and do some very involved and detailed analysis work.