another vote for Davis. I didn't attend there, but I lived there briefly and I loved the town: safe (for California), exercise-friendly town (lots of bike trails, I believe Davis, CA has the most bikes per capita, or something), good academics, lot of interesting events. The cost of rent is expensive, but that's to be expected in California.
I have to add that Davis, CA is hot during the summer - it's in the Central Valley of California, and there can be air quality issues, esp. with the forest fires, etc. Also, the spring allergies can be quite bad.
Davis is the most populous city in Yolo County, California. Located in the Sacramento Valley region of Northern California, the city had a population of 66,850 in 2020, not including the on-campus population of the University...