Recommendations on where to apply? Also Unique EC

You are correct that the UC’s will most likely be close to full pay at $60K/year to attend. You might want to look a Pitzer/Pomona and Claremont McKenna colleges (3 of the 5 Claremont Consortium) which has an excellent Environmental Analysis program. They are private LAC’s which may give decent FA.

http://colleges.claremont.edu/ea/curriculum/

Also look at Santa Clara University although their FA is not usually great.
https://www.scu.edu/cas/ess/