Newsletter: Essential Politics: Mr. Trump goes to Washington

In the history of awkward encounters, it’s hard to find one that ranks with what will happen today when President-elect Donald Trump walks into the White House for his first transition meeting with President Obama.

From coast to coast, we will all be wondering: Is this the most unexpected odd couple of all time?

Good morning from the state capital. I’m Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers, and while our civics books teach us about the peaceful transitions of power in the United States, it’s never quite been put to this test before.

Trump’s arrival in Washington marks the official beginning of a process few there had imagined, Lisa Mascaro and Evan Halper write: What will a Trump administration do? Unlike a change in governing, it comes with a completely different mindset about the nature of government itself.

HOW HE DID IT, HOW WE GOT HERE

The one thing the political class seemed to realize by the time the dust settled from Tuesday night was that the president-elect won by defying every conventional wisdom about campaigns and elections.

And key to it, write Mark Z. Barabak and Michael Finnegan, was harnessing off-the-charts levels of anger.

Meantime, few could dispute the wide gulf Trump’s victory laid bare in America. As Noah Bierman, Joseph Tanfani and Jenny Jarvie put it, a gulf “between those who believe Donald Trump will destroy everything that America stands for and those who are certain it has already been so destroyed that only Trump can fix it.”

DEMOCRAT DOLDRUMS

The official end to the campaign came Wednesday morning with Hillary Clinton’s concession speech and subsequent remarks by Obama.

But beyond that for Democrats, now what? There are no easy answers, from what happened to how to fix it.

WEDNESDAY REWIND

You can find all of our post-election coverage from Wednesday on our special edition of the Trail Guide news feed.

That includes the olive branch offered by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the end of the last U.S. Senate race in limbo and the GOP incumbent’s concession and the suggestion by the Senate’s majority leader that the new president can act unilaterally to undo Obama-era directives.

THE CALIFORNIA REACTION: LAWMAKERS, PROTESTERS STRENGTHEN THEIR RESOLVE

California isn’t quite to the new Republican-led government what District 13 was to the Capitol in “The Hunger Games,” but it will undoubtedly be a place where Democratic leaders see themselves as a counterbalance to the national GOP movement.

On Wednesday, two top legislative Democrats — Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) — broke their silence with a pretty stark joint statement.

“We woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land,” they said.

“We will lead the resistance to any effort that would shred our social fabric or our Constitution.”

Wednesday also saw a series of protests against the election results. Robin Abcarian caught up with students in Berkeley who were speaking out, while others took to the streets across California. And in downtown Los Angeles, thousands poured into the streets; some burned Trump’s head in effigy, while others shut down the 101 Freeway.

Meantime, a group trying to get California to secede from the United States said Trump’s election victory gives their cause new momentum.

HOW DID YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD VOTE?

Check out our precinct-level maps for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Sacramento counties to see how similar — or different — other voters in your neighborhood are. Did your neighbors vote for Trump or Clinton? Legalizing recreational marijuana or not? We’ll add more counties as we get them.

SKELTON: CALIFORNIA’S ELECTORAL EXPERIENCE

In his Thursday column, George Skelton weighs in on the Trump victory and notes that California voters sent some conflicting messages about what they want from government.

We’ll be tracking what happens next on Trail Guide. Follow @latimespolitics for in-the-moment updates. For coverage of California news, races and propositions, keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed.

FOLLOWING THE LEGALIZATION OF POT

California voters’ decision to legalize marijuana, by passing Proposition 64, is making news nationwide. And there’s a lot more to ponder now that the votes have been cast.

Patrick McGreevy reports on the scramble now underway by state and local officials to implement the new law. That includes how to handle all those cash transactions.

And activists say the vote in California and other states gives momentum to legalize marijuana elsewhere across the country. But what about Trump?

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Will Democrats in the Legislature hit supermajority status with the races still not called for the state Assembly and Senate?

— Yes, it was controversial. Now, the researcher behind the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times presidential tracking poll speaks out.

— Orange County Rep. Loretta Sanchez conceded the U.S. Senate race to Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris — and even hinted at a political return.

— Proposition 51, the $9-billion school bond, won in an Associated Press projection early Wednesday.

— Proposition 58, the expansion of bilingual education, cruised to victory early on election night.

— California voters defeated a repeal of the death penalty, Proposition 62.

— The expensive battle over prescription drug pricing, Proposition 61, ends with the proposal being rejected.

— Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) concedes and his opponent, Ro Khanna declares victory.

— With a couple of high-profile congressional races still too close to call, Sarah Wire examines in detail what the state’s congressional delegation could look like next year.

LOGISTICS

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