Newsletter: Essential California: The new fire crisis in wine country

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, Nov. 9, and here’s what’s happening across California:

TOP STORIES

New crisis in wine country

A month after wildfires ripped through Santa Rosa, a city of more than 160,000, there are debates about the fate of working-class residents and undocumented immigrants, the shortage of available housing for displaced residents that has pushed rental rates into the stratosphere, and whether the firestorm will trigger an exodus of engineers, doctors and nurses, teachers, emergency responders and agricultural workers — and with it an economic downturn. With rents surging as high as $13,000 a month in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed 3,000 Santa Rosa homes, some are not sure they will be able to afford to stay in the increasingly expensive wine country city. Los Angeles Times

Internal battle: The mental struggles facing those in the wine country disaster zone. San Francisco Chronicle

Aftermath: Concerns about the air quality a month after the fires. Press Democrat

Lost: In the wake of the fires, hundreds of pets are still looking for their owners. Sonoma News

Perspective: A Santa Rosa cartoonist’s vision of the fires. KQED

2018 or bust

Tuesday’s elections are putting more pressure on California’s GOP. The view from the suburbs is key because it points to the central problem for Republicans in 2018: Control of the House will be decided in large part in districts similar to those that retaliated against Trump on Tuesday. In California, for example, Democrats hope to win several Republican House seats in the suburbs of Los Angeles and Orange County. Los Angeles Times

On the bubble: Will these California races flip the House? Los Angeles Times

Hollywood earthquake report

Despite reports of a possible sale of 21st Century Fox’s movie and TV studios to Walt Disney Co., Fox Executive Chairman Lachlan Murdoch said Wednesday that his company is equipped to stay the course in a changing media landscape. “Let me be very clear — Fox does have the required scale to continue to both execute on our growth strategy and deliver increased returns to shareholders,” Murdoch said. Los Angeles Times

Plus: Different ways of looking at a possible Fox-Disney merger. Wall Street Journal

What’s at play? AT&T’s proposed $85-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc. is encountering stiff resistance from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is pressuring the companies to sell Time Warner’s news channel, CNN, to win approval of the deal. Los Angeles Times

Sidewalk sales

Los Angeles is preparing to legalize the familiar vendors who hawk hot dogs, ice cream and other food and goods on its sidewalks, a longtime dream of local activists. But under newly proposed regulations, vendors could still be banned near hot spots such as Dodger Stadium, Staples Center or Hollywood Boulevard. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Flying high: In just over two years, Uber says it will let commuters soar over Los Angeles’ snarled traffic in flying taxis. The ride-hailing firm announced Wednesday that L.A. will be one of the first cities served by UberAir, which it says will begin ferrying passengers across the region in electric aircraft in 2020. But some major hurdles remain. Los Angeles Times

Arrest report: The three UCLA basketball players questioned over shoplifting allegations in Hangzhou, China, could face a lengthy legal limbo depending on the actions of authorities handling their case, an expert in Chinese law said Wednesday. Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile: Lonzo Ball remained as stoic as ever after the Lakers’ shootaround in Boston as he discussed his brother’s arrest in China. “I’m just trying to focus on the game,” Ball said when asked for his thoughts on hearing about the situation. Los Angeles Times

Road warrior: Here is how one Laker braves the commute from the Valley to the South Bay. Wall Street Journal

Walk through: An inside look at the modernistic new concourse serving the international terminal at LAX. The architecture is described as resembling a “rolling ocean.” Curbed Los Angeles

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS

O say, can you see … : A California branch of the NAACP wants to ban the “Star Spangled Banner.” Sacramento Bee

If you build it … : It appears a plan for a baseball stadium in Oakland is picking up steam. San Francisco Chronicle

Sting operation: An Adelanto city councilman has been accused of accepting bribes and asking an undercover FBI agent to burn down his restaurant so he could collect an insurance payout. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Rebuttal: Harvey Weinstein’s publicists and lawyers pushed back Wednesday against reports surrounding the disgraced movie mogul, saying that they do not expect an indictment soon and that they believe they will show he does not deserve to face criminal charges. Los Angeles Times

Video: Investigators released new surveillance video that shows Northern California woman Sherri Papini running through a church parking lot after she was released by her abductors on Thanksgiving morning last year. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Sitting pretty: A seabird known as the brown booby is nesting for the first time in Channel Islands National Park. Associated Press

The lowdown: Industries regulated under California’s cap-and-trade program reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 5% in 2016, according to new data. Los Angeles Times

Bug off: California is banning the use of some pesticides near schools. Fresno Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Take that: Two California college kids are trying to tackle the Twitter fake news bot epidemic in a way Silicon Valley will not. Wired

Fast turnaround: The movie “All the Money in the World” is still scheduled to come out Dec. 22, but the role of tycoon J. Paul Getty is being recast and scenes will be re-shot. Christopher Plummer will replace Kevin Spacey, who’s facing allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Los Angeles Times

“War of the Worlds,” opera edition: Inside the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s take on Orson Welles’ famous 1938 fake radio news broadcast about a Martian invasion of Earth. The text has been adapted by 2017 MacArthur fellow Yuval Sharon, who also is directing. Los Angeles Times

Pushback: Some downtown San Diego residents are saying “no more” to a massive low-income housing project proposed by Father Joe’s Villages — even accusing the city of creating a homeless housing “ghetto” on one side of downtown. The city is struggling with a growing homeless problem. San Diego Union-Tribune

Comeback: A beloved L.A. musician battles back from a severe illness and claws back on stage. LA Weekly

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: Partly cloudy and 70. San Diego: Partly cloudy and 69. San Francisco area: Scattered showers and 64. Sacramento: Mostly cloudy and 65. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Today’s California memory comes from Howard P. Cohen:

“In the fall of 1967, when I was 5, we got on a plane from Winnipeg to come home. The temperature was 40 degrees. Our relatives were telling us how warm it was. When we landed at LAX around 10 p.m., it was 40 degrees — and people were exclaiming how cold it was.”

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

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.