Honestly, I have no idea why no one has mentioned the UC application essay yet. I feel like that plays a big part in the decisions. I got rejected from UCSB and UC Berk with a 1510 and a 4.4 gpa weighted. I only spent a week on my 4 essays and barely submitting it Nov 29 when all my studious friends around me had finished theirs since the start of their summer transitioning into senior year.
Going to the CC route isn’t a bad idea, cheap too. I’m not too sure about taking a gap year because you’d need to still be active, take parts in things like research or apply for scholarship imo.