I live in Idaho currently, but have lived in many different regions in the US at various points in the past (though, not California). It does seem particularly strong in California and increasingly in western Oregon, western Washington, southern Nevada, and northern Utah (which, probably not coincidentally, have been top destinations for people moving out of California over the last 10 to 20 years).
Out of curoisity, how long ago did you move to California from the UK? And is the "like" commonly used in the UK?
I moved ten years ago, so I couldn't tell you about "like" prevalence in the UK today - I think it was a lot less common than in California a decade ago.
Out of curoisity, how long ago did you move to California from the UK? And is the "like" commonly used in the UK?