Run the NPC on Uchicago and Vanderbilt, just in case. (They don’t treat ncp the same way as other css colleges so they might treat new spouses differently?)
Css colleges will typically factor income and assets for both custodial and non custodial parents AND their spouses.
Assets are supposed to be used to pay for college, even if they are the basis for your income or future retirement funds.
In that case, students turn toward public universities in their state (which are many and high quality in your state + all wue options) and merit scholarships. An issue is that CA public universities ’ deadlines and most merit deadlines were early December if not November.
Where else has your child applied?