| 100% | SANTA | 5 | With 61-Down, a California city |
| 82% | KIA | 3 | With 61 Down, South Korean car that shares a name with a South American city |
| 80% | AMES | 4 | With 61-Down, a Big 12 campus city |
| 75% | LEHI | 4 | With 61-Down, city named for a Book of Mormon prophet |
| 70% | GARDENA | 7 | California city with a horticultural name |
| 70% | MONTEREY | 8 | California city with a cheesy name |
| 68% | RANCHOCUCAMONGA | 15 | California city with a statue of Jack Benny |
| 67% | CABOSAN | 7 | With 60 Down, a Baja resort city |
| 66% | PALO | 4 | With "Alto," a city in California |
| 65% | FRESNO | 6 | Most populous California city with a one-word name |
| 65% | SANDIEGO | 8 | Southern California city with a famous zoo: 2 wds. |
| 63% | DOT | 3 | With 61-Down, a common e-mail address ending |
| 62% | DIEGO | 5 | San ___, city in California with a stellar skyline |
| 61% | QUE | 3 | With 61-Down, start of a 1956 song title |
| 60% | CHEVYMALIBU | 11 | Car named after a California city |
| 60% | LODI | 4 | CCR song about a California city |
| 58% | LAB | 3 | With 61 Down, chemical analysis |
| 58% | COMMONLABORER | 13 | Typical termite in a California city? |
| 57% | RISING | 6 | With 61-Down, global warming consequence, and a hint to the circled letters |
| 57% | FRESNO | 6 | A California city; a medium-spice pepper |
| 55% | SANTA | 5 | With 51-Down, city in California's Orange County |
| 55% | BERKELIUM | 9 | Element #97 named for a California city |
| 55% | URBANBURBANK | 12 | Built-up section of a California city? |
| 55% | LODI | 4 | Creedence song named for a California city |
| 55% | ALTO | 4 | Second word in a California city name |
| 54% | WRAP | 4 | With 61-Down, "Get a move on!" and an instruction for the answers to the starred clues |
| 54% | FRISCO | 6 | California city on a bay, slangily |
| 53% | OAKLAND | 7 | California city with the baseball team Athletics |
| 53% | SANTAANA | 8 | California city with extremely dry namesake winds |
| 52% | ABBE | 4 | With 37 Down, a singer |