Governor Tillman of California appears in this story. It was a speech he wrote for Governor Tillman which first brought Will Bailey's writing talent to Sam's attention back in season 4, leading to Will's addition to the White House writing team.
In the West Wing universe, a bill to withold driver's licenses from illegal immigrants is vetoed by the Governor of California. In reality, it is currently not legal for illegal immigrants to obtain California driver's licenses. A bill that would have made it legal was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
Jimmy Smits won the 2005 Imagen Award for Best Actor TV Drama for his work in this episode.
This episode won the 2005 Imagen Award for Best Primetime TV Series, Drama
'Air Force One' and 'Air Force Two' are not specific aircraft but ATC call-signs attached to whatever aircraft is being used to carry (One) the president and/or (Two) the vice-president.
The seal of the state of California shown in this episode is not the actual seal, which depicts the goddess Minerva in a landscape.