If he’d be comfortable committing to an English-type major (with options to double-major or minor in another area of interest), the Writing & Literature major in the College of Creative Studies at UCSB could give him a really nice, more personalized educational experience within a larger UC Writing & Literature | UCSB College of Creative Studies CCS requires an additional application in addition to the UC app.
Agreed that the 5C’s could be a great option but very pricey at full pay. Although IMHO, if Pomona wouldn’t be worth the full-pay price, Brown and the other no-merit privates on your list wouldn’t either.
Emory could be excellent for his interests, and Atlanta is certainly worthy of consideration as a city (especially given the concern about climate in the Northeast!), and a big enough travel hub to make access relatively easy… and merit is possible.
One more possibility that might or might not fit: Emerson College, in Boston, is more of a niche school than most he’s considering, but it’s very good in those niche areas, which do happen to cover most if not all of the areas of interest you listed: Undergraduate Majors & Minors | Emerson College It fits your parameters in terms of size (around 4K undergrads) and urban environment in Boston, and there are merit scholarships, although I don’t have any detailed knowledge about that aspect. They have satellite campuses in Los Angeles and the Netherlands, and they’re part of the Boston ProArts Consortium. It looks like their debate team has been doing well, too. I would think he’d find a lot of like-minded students there.