Newsletter: Today: Santa Rosa Stands at a Crossroads After the Fire

Housing in Santa Rosa was already hard to come by. Then came the fire. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Santa Rosa Stands at a Crossroads After the Fire

The wildfires that ripped through Northern California this month destroyed at least 8,400 homes and buildings, according to the latest figures from state officials. As this map shows, Santa Rosa was hit hard: The city lost 3,000 homes, or 5% of its housing stock. Thousands of people remain displaced, and while many vow to rebuild in Santa Rosa as soon as possible, the questions of how to do that and where they’ll stay in the meantime have no easy answers.

‘Me Too’: 200 More Women Recall Toback Encounters

After the L.A. Times published an investigation in which 38 women accused writer-director James Toback of sexual harassment, more than 200 other women contacted The Times within two days recalling similar encounters. Toback has denied the allegations and declined to comment on the additional accusations. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Police Department says it has fielded numerous phone calls related to Toback in the last few days, and the Manhattan district attorney’s office is encouraging women to come forward.

Will the White House Leave ‘Nation Building’ to the House of Saud?

For decades, the U.S. has followed a basic formula: Fight overseas, then help rebuild to promote greater stability. It hasn’t always worked. That’s one reason the Trump administration says it’s no longer in the “nation-building business.” Now that U.S.-backed forces have driven Islamic State militants from territory in Iraq and Syria, who will rebuild this time? It could be nations like Saudi Arabia, even if Riyadh’s interests don’t always align with Washington’s.

More From Washington

-- Within minutes of a soldier’s widow talking on TV about Trump’s consolation call to her, the president went to Twitter to dispute her criticism.

-- The nation’s top general says U.S. troops in Niger were ambushed on the way back to their base, but many aspects of the attack are still unclear.

-- Trump vowed there would be “no change” to rules for 401(k) plans in the Republican tax overhaul bill.

The Hottest Ticket in L.A.

One way or the other, the heat will be on at Dodger Stadium tonight, as the boys in blue return to the World Series for the first time in 29 years. With the potential for record temperatures in Southern California — and ticket prices for the cheap seats at more than $1,000 online — the team will open the series against the Houston Astros at 5 p.m. Pacific. As columnist Bill Plaschke writes, now is when the hard work for the Dodgers begins — and it all comes down to getting those four victories. Here’s a look at how the teams match up.

Jonathan Gold on L.A.’s 101 Best Restaurants

Who’s No. 1? For the first time since restaurant critic Jonathan Gold’s list of the 101 best restaurants in L.A. began being published in The Times in 2013, there’s a new eatery in the top spot — and, no doubt, it will have its haters. The list and a map are available for subscribers online now and in print on Sunday. Dig in.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- The Dodgers’ Corey Seager is happy to be back, regardless of whether he sees World Series action tonight.

-- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts discusses the team’s World Series preparation.

-- In the recording studio with YouTube star Vidya Vox.

CALIFORNIA

-- State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León will hire two outside firms to look into allegations of a culture of sexual harassment in the Capitol.

-- The family of a woman found dead in Joshua Tree National Park reportedly said investigators believed her boyfriend may have killed her in a “sympathetic murder-suicide” after she suffered a head injury.

-- Trump has used the death of Kathryn Steinle as an anti-immigrant cause celebre. Columnist Robin Abcarian wants to know why her killer had a gun in the first place.

-- Officials say a man has agreed to plead guilty to hacking into 550 Apple iCloud and Gmail accounts, including those of celebrities in Los Angeles.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- NBC “Today” host Megyn Kelly took on her former employer, Fox News, over the disclosure that the network signed former host Bill O’Reilly to a $25-million contract in February after he had paid $32 million to settle a sexual harassment claim.

-- Comedian Kathy Griffin and attorney Lisa Bloom have taken off the gloves in their public spat.

-- Exclusive: Hear Joe Henry’s poetically (and politically) motivated 14th studio album, “Thrum.”

-- The American Film Institute at 50: The fabled history of one of L.A.’s leading film organizations.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Edith Head began her Hollywood career by outfitting an elephant in cloth-of-gold for a 1923 silent movie. By the time she died on this date in 1981, she had dressed nearly six decades of stars and won more Oscars than any one of them.

NATION-WORLD

-- Researchers have found that in the two weeks after gun shows were held in Nevada, injuries and deaths involving firearms jumped by 69% in neighboring areas of California.

-- The judge deciding Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s punishment says he is concerned Trump’s comments about the case could affect the public’s perception of the military justice system.

-- China’s ruling Communist Party has amended its constitution to add President Xi Jinping’s name and ideology.

-- Both sides in the confrontation between Catalonia and Spain’s central government appear to be digging in ahead of a key vote Friday.

-- Iraq’s Kurds have seen their hopes for independence turn into a fight for survival.

BUSINESS

-- Tesla is about to make history as the first foreign automaker to build cars in China independently, but it’s not clear whether it will have to make other compromises.

-- Are nondisclosure agreements a “deal with the devil”?

SPORTS

-- After losing to Notre Dame, USC football is hitting the reset button as it gets ready to meet Arizona State.

-- The longest-suffering member of the Rams is relishing the team’s success this season.

OPINION

-- This is the beginning of the end of big, climate-changing power plants in California.

-- Conservatives used to stand up to crackpots like Alabama’s Roy Moore. Now many are defending him.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Celebrity chef John Besh stepped down from his restaurant group after this story about sexual harassment was published. (The Times-Picayune)

-- The faces of the opioid epidemic. (The New Yorker)

-- Some YouTube channels are tricking kids into watching violent videos. (Mashable)

ONLY IN L.A.

An up-tempo 1959 R&B rocker. A creepy 1990 headbanger. An eerie 2017 rap. Do these sound like Halloween to you? Despite L.A.’s lack of dark and stormy nights, the city still gets in the spirit of things. This playlist presents 13 songs from L.A.’s cabinet of horrors.

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