In the UC system, there will always be a desire to assign top, middle and lower tier. I often see kids trying to sell UCR as a middle tier and UCI as a top tier but the reality is that UCR is still lower tier and UCI is middle and likely to stay that way for awhile. That doesn’t mean they are bad schools! The UC’s have a lot to offer and being a lower tier school in the UC system is nothing to sneeze at. Imagine saying that Brown is a loser school. Sure, it’s a lower ranked school in the Ivy system but Brown itself is an awesome school.
Will UCR eventually pass up UCSC or UCI? Maybe. Will it overtake UCSB, UCD and UCSD? Well, not for a good while I’d guess. But more likely, it will continue to improve and get more competitive along with all the others and stay near the bottom until newer UCs are added to the system.
Try not to worry about where your school lands or will land in the future. It sounds like a great fit and you are excited to attend! College is all about what you make it!