As wildfire risk is projected to increase across most of the world, exposure to wildfire smoke is a growing global health issue. Clean air centers (CACs), public buildings designated to provide improved air quality to the public during a wildfire smoke event, have emerged as a community-oriented public health response to smoke. Some experts see CACs as the most effective way to reduce population exposure to wildfire smoke. Yet how and why smoke-vulnerable groups utilize CACs, as well as how CACs may be improved to meet their needs, is not well understood. Here, we explore these questions through exploratory interviews with two groups of stakeholders in California CAC development: practitioners and members of a community vulnerable to wildfire smoke. Our findings suggest that a gap remains between California’s CACs and the needs of vulnerable groups. By comparing community and practitioner perspectives, we identify opportunities to close this gap.