My parents don't have AC in their house. They live in Fremont, CA, about 25 miles southeast of SF. They say if they ever replace the furnace they'll put in a central air system.
The east bay can get pretty hot. I was talking to a buddy of mine who lives in Fremont, he said it's supposed to get into the 100's this week. Hot hot hot. Not as hot as the central valley, but still pretty hot. They manage to stay cool by opening the house up early and getting it cool, then closing it up and keeping the sun out as much as possible. The rear of the house faces southeast, and to the south they have a big fruitless mulberry that give a lot of shade. So even tho it's uncomfortable in the house betwee, 3 and 6, it cools down right nice after that.
However.
Living in Kansas City has taught me to appreicate a good AC system. It got up to 95, heat index of about 105, and I dont' know what that makes the humidity, but it was like walking into a wall going out side. Right now, 23:30 CDT, it's still 81 degrees. . . too hot for me. Damn right I like AC!
I've had five cars since my wife and i got together. The first two had no AC, that sucked. Going down the highway at 70 with the windows down makes you deaf. . . the last three have had AC, and we've used it a lot. I can't imagine driving around when it's so hot and humid with no AC. Needless to say, we drank a lot in the car (soda/water/tea) during the summer.