California Policy and Politics Thursday

Mountain fire destroys more than 50 homes, 5,000 others threatened -- Santa Ana winds helped propel several fires across the region, but the Mountain fire exploded Wednesday, sweeping into foothill communities. Richard Winton, Nathan Solis, Grace Toohey and Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Newsom calls special session to fund California’s legal defense against Trump -- Launching his first salvo less than 36 hours after former President Trump was again elected to the White House, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday convened a special session of the state Legislature to increase legal funding to defend civil rights, climate change, access to abortion, disaster funding and other California policies from a conservative federal agenda before the inauguration in January. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Trân Nguyễn Associated Press Jeanne Kuang and Alexei Koseff CalMatters Wes Venteicher Politico -- 11/7/24

Wind gusts could reach 100 mph in some spots as SoCal faces another day of dangerous fire weather -- With a destructive fire burning out of control in Ventura County, Southern California faces another day of intense winds and dry conditions. Grace Toohey, Joseph Serna and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

3,500 homes under threat as Ventura County fire burns through neighborhoods -- Firefighters were struggling to contain a fast-moving Ventura County wildfire on Thursday that had destroyed numerous homes — and the dangerous winds fueling those flames were forecast to continue through Friday. Clara Harter, Noah Haggerty, Jireh Deng and Sandra McDonald in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Donald Trump has vowed revenge on California. These are his specific threats -- Donald Trump vilified California throughout his campaign, and now that he has secured a second presidential term, it’s possible he could carry out some of the threats he has leveled at the state. Sara Libby, Molly Burke in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

California beat Trump in court his first term. It’s preparing new cases for his second -- California sued the Trump administration more than 100 times in his first term and secured some major victories on the environment, immigration and health care. Ana B. Ibarra and Nigel Duara CalMatters -- 11/7/24

How to talk to children about the election without making matters worse -- Donald Trump’s election victory Tuesday is leaving millions of Americans reeling and struggling to navigate feelings of disappointment, fear, anger and frustration. Catherine Ho in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

Skelton: Harris’ defeat opens a bumpy path to the White House for Newsom -- Gov. Gavin Newsom got a huge political boost when Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election. Newsom now has a direct path to the White House in 2028. George Skelton in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

With progressive ballot measures on track to fail, California’s political identity is questioned -- Voters approved a measure to reverse progressive criminal reform and were positioned to reject propositions that hike the minimum wage and end forced prison labor. Mackenzie Mays in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Walters: In deep blue California, voters don’t always march to Democratic drums -- In the parlance of politics, “ticket-splitting” refers to someone who votes for candidates of both major parties. It bedevils political devotees as they turn out partisan voters. Dan Walters CalMatters -- 11/7/24

The diminishing path to a Democratic House majority runs through California -- Democrats’ dream of blocking a Republican governing trifecta is dwindling down to a handful of West Coast races, as California’s large cache of still-untallied ballots and its notoriously slow count now take center stage in the national political drama. Melanie Mason and Steven Shepard Politico -- 11/7/24

‘How did we miss it this big?’: Trump victory over Harris lands hard in deep blue San Francisco -- The day after her stunningly decisive defeat, voters in deep blue San Francisco struggled to absorb the loss. Rachel Swan, Kevin Fagan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

In blue California, conservatives count their victories -- Republicans may not have delivered the Golden State to Trump, voters still approved a number of conservative ballot measures. Kate Talerico in the San Jose Mercury$ David Lightman and Annika Merrilees in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/7/24

Gavin Newsom praises Kamala Harris, says he’ll work with Donald Trump -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, a harsh, passionate critic of former President Donald Trump, said Wednesday he would “seek to work with the incoming president.” Andrew Sheeler and David Lightman in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 11/7/24

The anti-Trump resistance roars back — with California at the forefront -- With Donald Trump’s imminent return to the White House, California is poised to reprise a familiar role — beating heart of the resistance. Melanie Mason Politico -- 11/7/24

With Donald Trump as president, Gavin Newsom poised to become ‘leader of the resistance’ -- Even as Donald Trump’s victory represents a devastating loss for Democrats, it carries a political silver lining for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is now positioned to become the leader of the Democratic resistance. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

With Harris down, Newsom’s political stock rises again in California and beyond -- “Newsom is going to lead the resistance government for the next two years as governor, and then after that, he is a very prominent and nationally recognized party leader,” said Dan Schnur, who teaches political communications at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Don’t expect Kamala Harris’ loss to boost Gavin Newsom’s presidential prospects -- California’s governor faces a lot of obstacles to a plausible run for president in 2028, even if he does help lead the resistance to Donald Trump. Alexei Koseff CalMatters -- 11/7/24

L.A.’s audio leak scandal is taking down another Latino political leader -- Two years after the scandal, City Councilmember Kevin de León is on track to lose his seat. His defeat would leave Latinos with just four of the council’s 15 seats. David Zahniser and Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

‘The math says this is over’: San Francisco mayor faces long reelection odds -- Mayor London Breed hasn’t conceded the election, but her path to winning another term leading San Francisco appears quite narrow. Dustin Gardiner Politico -- 11/7/24

What happens next if Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County DA Pamela Price are recalled? -- The separate efforts to recall Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price were headed toward victory Wednesday based on early figures. Final results may not be available for up to a week. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

Sam Liccardo wins Dem-on-Dem race for Silicon Valley seat -- Democrat Sam Liccardo has won a bruising intraparty slugfest in the race for an open Silicon Valley House district, picking up the seat held by retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo. Dustin Gardiner Politico Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/7/24

Hospitality businessman Stephen Cloobeck enters the 2026 California governor’s race -- Southern California philanthropist and businessman Stephen Cloobeck announced his run for California governor on Tuesday with a barrage of advertisements on TV stations and news websites, targeting Californians following the results of the 2024 presidential election. Laura J. Nelson in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Deportation plans

Trump’s deportation plan brings fear and sadness at California’s border -- The president-elect’s border policies could hit trade, privacy, and immigrant families living in California. Wendy Fry CalMatters -- 11/7/24

Abortion

California attorney general says he has a plan in place to fight abortion pill crackdown -- California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office is prepared to defend abortion rights in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election victory Tuesday, and said he already has a plan to ensure clinics can continue to send abortion pills within the state. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

Workplace

S.F. restaurants are on the brink. Did voters just save them? -- It’s been an extremely challenging year for San Francisco’s restaurants. Revenue is down, and closures are up. Some chefs have blamed the state of downtown San Francisco for their struggles. Mario Cortez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

Bay Area tech layoffs: Mozilla Foundation lays off 30% of employees in restructuring push -- The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the San Francisco company behind the Firefox browser, has laid off 30% of its workforce, citing the need to adapt to a rapidly evolving technology sector. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

How Trump’s second presidency could bring more drama to Hollywood -- While President-elect Donald Trump has not laid out specific plans for the entertainment industry, analysts said his proposed broader policies on global tariffs, as well as the threat of retaliation against companies, could put a chill on Los Angeles’ signature business. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Social Media

Bonta proposes warning labels on social media sites but says it’s still too early for AI -- California’s top law enforcement officer is worried enough about the harms posed by social media that he is sponsoring a bill to affix cigarette-like warning labels to social media sites and apps. Chase DiFeliciantonio in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

Wildfire threat

Power shut off for thousands of Bay Area customers during red flag warning weather -- More than 16,000 Bay Area customers went without power Wednesday as Pacific Gas & Electric took precautions to lessen the chances of sparking a wildfire as most of the region remained under a red flag warning that began Tuesday. Nollyanne Delacruz in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 11/7/24

Water

Severe California droughts increasingly likely, scientists say -- Similar severe droughts will become much more likely in the western United States, according to a study published Wednesday, led by scientists at UCLA, the National Integrated Drought Information System and the University of Colorado Boulder. Jack Lee in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Ian James in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Education

What Trump’s victory means for education in California -- Trump, whose position on education has focused more on cultural ideology than on policies to improve education, has threatened to cut school funding to states, such as California, with policies that protect transgender students and promote diversity, equity and inclusion in their schools. Diana Lambert, Zaidee Stavely, John Fensterwald, Karen D'Souza, Amy DiPierro, and Michael Burke EdSource -- 11/7/24

POTUS 47

For Trump and Republicans in Congress, ‘everything is in play’ on tax cuts -- President-elect Donald Trump is poised to push swiftly for new tax cuts if Republicans win full control of Congress, further slashing corporate rates and extending trillions of dollars of other cuts even as the national debt soars. Jacob Bogage in the Washington Post$ -- 11/7/24

How Trump Won, and How Harris Lost -- He made one essential bet: that his grievances would become the grievances of the MAGA movement, and then the G.O.P., and then more than half the country. It paid off. Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan in the New York Times$ -- 11/7/24

Your Money in a Second Trump Term: Taxes, Credit Cards and Student Loans -- President Biden’s push to curb credit-card late fees could be sidelined, analysts say. They don’t expect his student-loan relief efforts to survive, either. With a Republican-leaning Congress, President-elect Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts are more likely to be extended. The item is in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/7/24

Trump’s win may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades -- President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, combined with the Republican takeover of the Senate, may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for another two decades. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Trump’s triumph threatens an already battered democracy, experts say -- Donald Trump’s return to the White House signals a significant breakdown of an already battered democracy, experts say. Almost as dangerous, they contend, much of the electorate sees him as democracy’s savior. Sarah Ellison in the Washington Post$ -- 11/7/24

Mexico is bracing for a new Trump presidency after threats of tariffs, deportations, attacks -- The election of Donald Trump — whose campaign featured incendiary proposals on tariffs, immigration and combating drug trafficking — is sending shock waves through Mexico, a nation with close economic, social and cultural ties to its northern neighbor. Patrick J. McDonnell and Kate Linthicum in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

As Trump wins White House, special counsel weighs how to end trials -- As Donald Trump clinched his resounding presidential victory early Wednesday, the four criminal cases against him seemed to begin their march to dissolution. Perry Stein, Shayna Jacobs, Holly Bailey and Spencer S. Hsu in the Washington Post$ -- 11/7/24

What to Know About Trump’s New York Criminal Case After the Election -- Donald J. Trump, the first felon elected president, has a sentencing scheduled for Nov. 26. He has many ways to avoid punishment. Ben Protess and Kate Christobek in the New York Times$ -- 11/7/24

‘Trump’s America’: Comeback Victory Signals a Different Kind of Country -- In the end, Donald J. Trump is not the historical aberration some thought he was, but instead a transformational force reshaping the modern United States in his own image. Peter Baker in the New York Times$ -- 11/7/24

How much it actually costs to move to Canada from the U.S. -- Election Day is over in America. The results are in — and they have a lot of people thinking about their next move. According to Google Trends, searches for “move to Canada” spike in election years, and were up again Wednesday. Jessica Roy in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 11/7/24

The Miscalculations That Sent Kamala Harris to a Devastating Loss -- Her campaign misread an electorate that was more wound up about inflation and immigration than about Donald Trump’s character. Tarini Parti, Annie Linskey and Ken Thomas in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 11/7/24

How Trump Connected With So Many Americans -- Donald Trump’s campaign was a blend of comedy, fury, optimism, darkness and cynicism. “He gets us,” some voters concluded. Shawn McCreesh in the New York Times$ -- 11/7/24

Harris Asked Voters to Protect Democracy. Here’s Why It Didn’t Land -- In more than 200 interviews, voters worried not about an endangered country, but about paying rent. Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ -- 11/7/24

Barabak: Trump wins and it’s a dark night for America’s soul -- A convicted felon and adjudicated sex offender is returning to the White House. A candidate who spoke of using the military against political foes and called for the summary execution of his critics will again be commander in chief. Mark Z. Barabak in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 11/7/24

Elon Musk’s $1M voter giveaways were fixed lotteries, lawsuits say -- Elon Musk said recipients of his daily $1 million lottery would be selected randomly. Two lawsuits accuse America PAC of pre-selecting winners. Kyle Melnick in the Washington Post$ -- 11/7/24