Heh, I assumed UCD meant University of California, Davis...long known as a bike-friendly area. In the USA there are now some nice commuter bikes including some with internal-gear hubs & even belt-drive that reduce maintenance esp in wet weather. However they're a bit expensive (one might worry about theft) & they're mostly flat-bar style. Also, those nice USA commuter bikes can be hard to find in our bike shops. In the USA commuters seem to be either enthusiasts who prefer drop bars or else working-class guys who ride inexpensive used mountain bikes.
Of course in Germany & the Netherlands etc there's a lot of sensible commuter bikes that come with mudguards & lights etc but again, always with flat bars.