It is difficult to identify what you have but those larva could become insect pests or they could become predators of insect pests. Put a few in a sealable plastic bag and take them to your local office of the University of California Cooperative Extension Service for identification.

Here is a link that might be useful: UCCES county offices

They aren't what we call grubs, which are the larvae of certain beetles. They look like the larvae of Soldier Flies or of Crane Flies. The latter are commonly called Leatherjackets. One aids in organic matter decomposition while the other can be a pest in large numbers.

As kimmsr says, it is important that you have them properly identified before deciding if you have to do anything or not. The picture doesn't give us enough detail to help you with great certainty...any chance of a closeup?

Visit your local Extension office as Kimmsr suggests, and let us know what you find out.

What crops or plants did you grow there? They could be cutworms which will mow down new plants of all kinds, I agree find out what they are first

they dont look like my MI version of cutworms ...

any of these things.. i just throw them were the birds are ... they take care of them.. organically ... lol ...

i dont really think you want or need to sterilize your soil ... you seem to be digging a lot of things up .... if you try to do that.. you will probably rid yourself of beneficials.. like worms .....

but for the most part.. you ought to be out there in summer ... and reacting to actual live problems .... kill or destroy the egg layer... and you dont have these in the soil.. this time of year ... itss sorta the basis of IPM ... integrated pest management ....

and frankly .. most likely ... 99% of the time... you wont ever notice some marauding horde.. in mid summer .... so you end up saving the use of any kind of pesticide ... chem or organic ...

ken

Here's a close up. The reason I'm coming across these is because I'm prepping some neglected planting beds; taking out dead plants, removing weeds, etc.

I don't think they're cutworms.. They are about 2 inches down beneath the soil surface.

I'm not looking for them or anything, It just happened that I kept coming across them and as a novice gardener I figured I'd ask :)

It looks like the leatherjacket to me, which is the larva of a Crane fly. I'll attach one image for comparison but you should do further image searches, too. You can learn a heck of a lot in about ten minutes!

Your Extension office will know if leatherjackets are a problem in your location. In some locations, they are little pests, but in others they're rather innocuous.

So, let us know if my 'guess' is right! :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Looky here for comparison

I agree: flies. What kind? I dunno. Flies are too hard. :)

If you can replicate their environment in a jar they might pupate for you. Much easier to ID adults! Plus for maggots they're kinda cute!

Leatherjackets are larvae of crane flies. Some are crane fly larvae are plant pests which damage roots which are typically found in overly wet soil. Other kinds of crane flies decompose dead organic matter.

Beneficial Nematodes can take care of your grub problem in no time. The cool part about nematodes is they are a natural biological insecticide so they are safe for people, pets, and plants. My fav hydro store sells 7 million nematodes for $22.95, I have provided a link below if you would like to check them out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Beneficial Nematodes

Sabrina, the OP doesn't have grubs.