Anyone here work for UC Davis? (Sacramento, Vacaville: rentals, how much, buying a house)

[lcatchpo]

Hi, I just got through a rather long phone interview with UC Davis primate center (am a vet tech). It seemed like it went okay.
I am currently living in Pittsburgh. I want to know if UC will take a long time to get through the hiring process. Pitt took me 6 months of waiting.
Would West Sacramento be a good place to live for a daily commute? My husband and I do not plan on buying a house ever, just renting. Do you think we'll be able to afford living there on my income if his matches? We are talking around 75K combined.
How is UC about giving out raises? At Pitt it's close to impossible to get a raise unless you show a job offer and they decide to match it but that's not what I am planning to do. I really want to move. Our sons have grown and moved out. One is in Seattle, one is in Phoenix. Sacramento would be in the middle. Thanks so much for any and all advice you can give me.

[Beth26]

I've worked for UC Davis before and I live in West Sac. I currently commute to Davis daily. UC Davis is a great place to work. In terms of raises, it is not usually a quick process. If you want a raise you would either need to get reclassified to a high position or move to another department to get that higher position and therefore a raise. With the upcoming budget cuts in Ca, it is unlikely you will get raises for a couple of years. I'm not sure how quickly they will respond to the interview. I think it would be quicker in your field.

If you do not have kids, living in West Sac is great. It is a quick commute to Davis and it is much less expensive. I lived in Davis for years and I really like West Sac. The elementary schools are fine in the newer sections of town. They are all converting to K-8 schools though so there is a bit of turmoil in the district. The High School is more sketchy, however, a new one is being built.

However, if you want to live in an established community Davis can't be beat. It is a great place to raise a family. There are excellent parks there and bike paths everywhere. Definitely a special place.

[lcatchpo]

Thanks so much Beth! Sounds like UC works exactly like Pitt. Now I know to negotiate a good starting salary.
I don't have any kids, empty nester but Davis sounds great but expensive.
You've been incredibly helpful!

[Chris12]

Hi, I live in Vacaville. It's cheaper than Davis. We get less fog. We have blue skies, hills, the outlet mall, the Nut-Tree shopping and food.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know.
~Chris

[jguillot]

I work for the UC Davis Health System Human Resources Department in Sacramento. The main campus in Davis has it's own Recruitment Department, so I can't speak for them. If you are interviewed for a position within the UCD Health System, you would likely receive an offer in less than 2 weeks if they decide to make you an offer. Salary increases within the UCD Health System are based upon what was negotiated between the University and the union representing the employees. The increase is usually a certain percentage each year. If your job classification is represented by a union on campus, the same would be true there. The benefits offered by the University of California are the best in the business. That is definitely a big plus. Living in West Sacramento would give you a fairly easy commute to the main campus in Davis. I hope this helps.

[lcatchpo]

I've been told they checked my references yesterday and I imagine that went pretty well.
I do have a few more questions though. What is Nut tree shopping? Union? Does that mean union dues? If so how much? Also how bad is traffic traveling from West Sac to Davis? I am not looking to buy a house but would like to rent a duplex or something similar with a garage so I am hoping to stay under 1100 per month. Is that possible?
How is the job market in general? Here in Pittsburgh it's declining rapidly.
Thanks so much for your help.

[Beth26]

I can best answer the traffic from West Sac to Davis. It is very easy going from West Sac to Davis in the morning. The traffic going back in the afternoon gets backed up on 80 in Davis from about 3-5:30 p.m. Often later. I usually take Chiles or the frontage road on the North side of 80 in Davis to get by the worst of the backup. Once you get on the Causeway (a portion of freeway over wetlands between Davis and West Sac) it usually picks up. In general traffic between the two cities is pretty easy.

In terms of places to live in West Sac, there is a nice community off of Linden across from the Nugget Shopping center. There are duplexes available in that area. I'm not sure of the price, but I think you should find something reasonable in that area.

[Beth26]

www.westsacrentals.com

I see this sign in my neighborhood in West Sac on houses for rent. I live further down from Nugget in Bridgeway Island.

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by lcatchpo

I've been told they checked my references yesterday and I imagine that went pretty well.
I do have a few more questions though. What is Nut tree shopping? Union? Does that mean union dues? If so how much? Also how bad is traffic traveling from West Sac to Davis? I am not looking to buy a house but would like to rent a duplex or something similar with a garage so I am hoping to stay under 1100 per month. Is that possible?
How is the job market in general? Here in Pittsburgh it's declining rapidly.
Thanks so much for your help.

Hi lcatchpo,

There is a large commercial development called, "Nut Tree," over near Vacaville area, west of Davis. You can see it from Interstate 80. The Nut Tree was closed for several years, but I believe the old Nut Tree has been torn down and rebuilt with new stores and restaurants.

At UC Davis, if you take a job in a classification that is represented by a union, you will pay union dues. You will have no choice in the matter even if you choose not to join the union. Former Governor Gray Davis was instrumental in getting a bill to pass that required all employees who are represented by a union to pay dues whether they want to or not. The amount you will pay in dues differs from union to union, so I can't tell you what your dues would be. My job classification is non-represented, so I don't pay union dues, but my wife's classification is represented. She pays $22.97 per month.

Since I don't drive during commute hours between West Sacramento and Davis, I can't tell you what traffic is like, but I see that Beth26 has already given you some input on this and places to rent.

I believe the job market in the Sacramento area is still fairly good. The high-tech companies in the area sometimes go through layoffs, but even so, the job market here is better than in many othe parts of the country.

I hope this has helped.

[cag25]

My sister rents a decent duplex in Davis (2 bdrm) for $1100/month. It is much nicer in Davis then in West Sac. Why not consider living in Davis?