Newsletter: Essential California: The Dodgers gear up for the World Series

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It is Saturday, Oct. 21. Here’s what you don’t want to miss this weekend:

TOP STORIES

“Sea-ger! Sea-ger! Sea-ger!”: The Dodgers gave L.A. something the city hasn’t had since 1988: a starring turn in the World Series. As they prepare, they’re waiting to see how two-time All-Star shortstop Corey Seager will respond to treatment for an injured back. Seager’s availability is one of few question marks for this team. Los Angeles Times

Inspirational story: Enrique Hernandez was a hero for the Dodgers on Thursday night, with three home runs, including a grand slam. Back home in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Monica Gonzalez watched her son’s heroics on a generator-powered TV. Los Angeles Times

The fans: It had been more than a quarter of a century since the Dodgers made it to the World Series — when a Kirk Gibson home run made grown men and women weep like children — and these fans were not going to miss out on a chance for their generation’s moment of history. Los Angeles Times

College Republicans: Campus conservative leaders said Donald Trump’s election boosted their numbers even if it intensified hostility toward them. But it’s also sparked a bruising battle, to be decided at the state party convention this weekend, that mirrors the larger national struggle between GOP establishment insiders and insurgents inspired by Trump. Los Angeles Times

His “war”: Steve Bannon, who has threatened to launch election challenges to Washington Republicans who failed to back the president’s agenda, comes to California, and some in the GOP are wary. Los Angeles Times

Why here? Despite the GOP’s clear weaknesses in blue California, Bannon still sees a potential gold mine. Sacramento Bee

Rain helps with the fires: “We’ve been battling Mother Nature the whole time, and to have her finally relent and give us the rain we needed to put this thing out, it felt like the end scene of the movie where you feel like you’ve survived,” one fire official said as rain started falling in wine country. It gave some respite to the firefighters who have been battling flames that have scorched more than 240,000 acres, killed 42 people and caused more than $1 billion of insured losses. Los Angeles Times

Allowed back in: Residents in Santa Rosa are returning to the ruins of Coffey Park, the hardest-hit area in the firestorms. Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Some sense of normalcy: The recovery effort begins among the wineries, with big decision about whether to pick grapes and when to reopen the wine tasting centers. Napa Valley Register

Wildfire aftermath: Advice to those who lost their homes: Keep a diary. New York Times

Testing: The California Bar Exam remains one of the toughest tests out there. Wall Street Journal

The big dig: Transportation pioneer Elon Musk has received permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system known as a hyperloop — but in Maryland. Los Angeles Times

Building boom: Thanks to a construction boom over the past four years, the city has nearly doubled the number of hotel rooms within walking distance of the Los Angeles Convention Center to 4,637 rooms. But officials insist more are needed. Los Angeles Times

Mystery solved? So who was “patient zero” in the San Diego hepatitis outbreak that has killed 18? It was apparently a homeless man from El Cajon. San Diego Union-Tribune

From Disney to the White House? Is Bob Iger going into politics? Inside the cat-and-mouse game. The Hollywood Reporter

End of an era: Elvira is retiring from Knott’s Scary Farm. Orange County Register

Home viewing: Five movies about the delusions of Hollywood. The New Yorker

THIS WEEK’S MOST POPULAR STORIES IN ESSENTIAL CALIFORNIA

1. A bone shard, a molar, an artificial hip — the grim task of finding victims of the California fires. Los Angeles Times

2. Despite clear risks, a Santa Rosa neighborhood that burned down was exempt from state fire regulations. Los Angeles Times

3. A family of four tried to outrun the firestorm. Only three made it. Los Angeles Times

4. One of the most powerful journalists In Hollywood is accused of protecting Harvey Weinstein for years. The Huffington Post

5. Harvey Weinstein appears to be done in Hollywood. But what about Lisa Bloom? Los Angeles Times

ICYMI, HERE ARE THIS WEEK’S GREAT READS

Fresh beginning: He went to prison with a life sentence at age 17. Two decades later, he had to start his adult life. Los Angeles Times

A different L.A.: What if the Getty, instead of hiring a New York firm to design a single billion-dollar museum complex on a hilltop overlooking the 405 Freeway, had instead built five $200-million campuses, each in a different (ground-level) section of the city and each by a different architect? Or 10 with a price tag of $100 million each? Or 100 at $10 million per? How might the cultural history of Los Angeles or contemporary architecture be different? These are questions architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne is asking. Los Angeles Times

Hate group: Some Southern California white supremacists have been tied to violence, including an attack in Huntington Beach. But why no criminal charges? ProPublica

Plus: More on that Huntington Beach attack, which targeted OC Weekly journalists. OC Weekly

Checking in: Beyond the impressive architecture and antique charms, this downtown L.A. hotel has a grim history of death. Curbed Los Angeles

LOOKING AHEAD

Tuesday: The World Series starts at Dodger Stadium.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.