yes garlic is planted in the fall... here in the northern tier. i do know that some types of garlic (creole) grow well in the south and poorly in the north. based upon that simple fact you being in southern (?) calif i really don't know if what i'd tell you is correct for your location. google southern ca garlic growing and i'm sure you can find websites for garlic farmers/seed companies, they often have websites that explain how to. there are 2 sites i recommend but 1 is in washington state the other in wisconsin so again i am uncertain whether their website growing info is pertinent to your location.
http://www.bloosquallsgarlicfarm.com/ http://wegrowgarlic.com/301.html
if no one answers you try googling how to grow garlic, i bet you'll find all the info you want. another option is in a garden center look for pamphlets or books. i'm sure amazon has books about growing garlic.
tom