Kern County is located in California’s great Central Valley and is the gateway to Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, and California’s High Desert. It is California’s third-largest county in land area, at 8,141 square miles, but is among the least densely populated, with 662,000 residents. Census 2000 data indicate a demographic distribution as follows: 50% white, 38% Hispanic, 6% African American, 3% Asian, 2% Native American, and 1% other; 49% of the residents are female. Less than a majority of voters in this county voted in favor of Proposition 36 (47%).

Riverside County is a semi-urban area covering over 7,200 square miles of river valleys, low deserts, mountains, foothills, and plains in the southeastern region of the state. The county has over 1.5 million residents. Census 2000 data indicate a demographic distribution as follows: 51% white, 36% Hispanic, 6% African American, 4% Asian, 1% Native American, and 2% other; 50% of the residents are female. Fifty-six percent of the residents voted for Proposition 36.

Sacramento County encompasses 966 square miles in California's Central Valley. Nearly half of the county's 1.2 million residents live in unincorporated areas, a situation unique among California’s urban counties. Census 2000 data indicate a demographic distribution as follows: 58% white, 16% Hispanic, 10% African American, 11% Asian, 1% Native American, and 4% other; 51% of the residents are female. Fifty-six percent of the residents voted for the initiative.

San Diego County is an urban area stretching along California’s border with Mexico and is home to more than 2.8 million people. Census 2000 data indicate a demographic distribution as follows: 55% white, 27% Hispanic, 6% African American, 9% Asian, 1% Native American, and 2% other; 50% of the residents are female. Fifty-six percent of the residents voted for the Proposition.

San Francisco County is a large urban county located in northwestern California. More than 777,000 people live in this area, and Census 2000 data indicate a demographic distribution as follows: 44% white, 14% Hispanic, 8% African American, 31% Asian, 4% Native American, and 2% other; 49% of the residents are female. A much higher percentage of voters (76%) in San Francisco voted for the initiative, compared to the other four counties in the study and to the state overall (61%).

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