Yeast frementation temp question

If I was to use White Labs California Ale yeast and it recommends that it stay at a temp range of 66-70 degrees is that the temp of the wort during fermentation or the air temp?

If it's the temp of the wort then I realize I'd have to keep the air temp at around 63 degrees (being the fermentation temps are 5+ degrees warmer) which I am not prepared to do currently.

Also it's amazing to me that something like Notty and Safale dry yeast have such a wide range acceptable temperatures but the liquid yest is such a small window!!!!

That would be the wort temperature. You could ferment warmer, but the warmer you ferment the more likely esters are going to be thrown off by the yeast.

I find that white labs specs a very tiny temp window. Wyeast has a wider temp window. Remember that temps are supposed to be for "ideal" fermentation results and that you can adjust slightly as long as you are willing to live with the results (more or less esters, etc.). I believe that WLP001 is supposed to be the same as wyeast 1056. White labs specs 68-73 (according to their website) and Wyeast specs 60-72. I would feel comfortable going anywhere from 60-74 with that yeast.

A word about those temperatures:

The yeast isn't going to crap out at 71 degrees or 65 degrees. Far from it. I usually ferment below the recommended temperature.

Many of the liquid yeasts have as wide a temperature as Notty and Safale. It's just not the "optimum" temperature. Heck, you can buy liquid Notty if you really wanted to.