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McCarthy hits hard at Dems after winning minority leader post -- In his first press conference after Republicans chose him to be House minority leader next year, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) largely attributed the GOP wipeout to historical trends while also repeatedly blaming spending by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the cause of several Republican defeats in close contests. Kyle Cheney, John Bresnahan and Sarah Ferris Politico -- 11/14/18

California’s New Governor Has a Problem: His Own Party -- Gavin Newsom was elected easily and he’s got a $9 billion surplus to play with. But will he now become the big “alpha dog” in Sacramento? Carla Marinucci Politico -- 11/14/18

Refugee camps for fire survivors? Butte County on “edge” of humanitarian crisis after Camp Fire -- In a region already plagued by a severe shortage of homes and apartments, the Camp Fire may usher in a secondary crisis: A massive housing shortage, potentially leaving thousands of fire victims homeless. “We’re on the edge,” Mayer said when asked if the county was facing a humanitarian crisis. Ryan Sabalow, Ryan Lillis, Dale Kasler, Sam Stanton and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

PG&E outlook ominous if utility found responsible for California’s worst wildfire -- In a grim sign for the Northern California utility giant, Pacific Gas & Electric said Wednesday that if it is deemed responsible for the fire that destroyed much of Paradise, the liability would exceed its insurance coverage. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

PG&E says 23,000 customers are without power because of the Camp fire -- Since Monday, the utility has sent hundreds of crew members into the field and they have restored electricity to 2,200 homes. Still, 23,000 customers are without power and 12,000 others don’t have gas, the utility said. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

3rd body found among wreckage of Woolsey fire as residents blast officials about emergency response -- As a third body was discovered among the ashes of a home in Agoura Hills, residents in nearby Malibu questioned fire officials about the division of resources and rushed evacuation notices during the Woolsey fire’s devastating march through Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Matt Hamilton, Hannah Fry and Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times Amanda Lee Myers and Brian Skoloff Associated Press -- 11/14/18

Camp Fire: 200-plus people still missing as wildfire’s growth slows -- The catastrophic Camp Fire’s growth slowed overnight Wednesday, burning an additional 5,000 acres and holding at 35 percent containment, fire officials said. Cooling temperatures and reduced wind speeds helped fire personnel to keep the 135,000-acre fire from spreading further. Gwendolyn Wu and Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee Emily DeRuy and Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Butte County releases names of 103 missing people in partial list -- The Butte County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released a partial list of the 228 missing people affected by the Camp Fire. The list contains the names, ages and last known residences of 103 missing people in the Camp Fire. Officials said the index will be regularly reviewed and updated. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee Kathleen Ronayne and Andrew Selsky Associated Press Sonali Kohli in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

After student backlash, UC Davis reverses decision and closes campus due to smoke; Sac State also closed -- UC Davis reversed Tuesday night’s decision to resume classes Wednesday following outrage expressed by thousands of students and faculty as wildfire smoke continues to create unhealthy air conditions in the region. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

After the fires, another threat looms: mud flows -- Authorities told Malibu residents during a town hall meeting Tuesday that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s watershed emergency response team will try to determine what areas of the city are most at risk for mud flows in the event of a strong storm. Officials pointed to the devastating debris flow that hit Montecito after the Thomas fire burned the Los Padres National Forest last year as a warning. Hannah Fry and Matt Hamilton in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Gov. Brown says Trump pledges federal aid in phone call -- State and federal officials visiting the devastating front lines of the Camp Fire promised Wednesday to dedicate “full resources” toward recovery in the small towns like Paradise that have been close to obliterated by flames. Gov. Jerry Brown said at a noon press conference in Chico that President Trump had called him “just a few minutes ago” to pledge federal aid. Gwendolyn Wu and Ashley McBride in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

West Coast crab fisherman sue fossil fuel companies, citing economic losses due to climate change -- West Coast crab fishermen have experienced significant losses during the past three years, starting in the 2015-16 season when massive algal blooms caused by warm ocean temperatures resulted in a domoic acid outbreak that caused a months-long delay. The season was partially delayed again during the 2016-17 season for the same reason. Tara Duggan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

California’s state budget is so flush words can’t describe it -- Gov. Jerry Brown’s parting gift to Gov. elect Gavin Newsom is a state budget so flush with unrestricted tax revenue that top fiscal analysts struggled to find the right words to describe it. “The budget is in remarkably good shape,” reads the annual fiscal outlook by the Legislative Analyst’s Office. “It is difficult to overstate how good the budget’s condition is today.” Adam Ashton in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy tapped to lead House Republicans -- California Rep. Kevin McCarthy will lead Republicans in the minority in the next Congress, defeating a challenge from his right for the job. Securing the minority leader position puts the Bakersfield Republican in a prime position to become House speaker if and when Republicans regain control of the House. Sarah D. Wire in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis -- Inside Facebook’s Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, top executives gathered in the glass-walled conference room of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. It was September 2017, more than a year after Facebook engineers discovered suspicious Russia-linked activity on its site, an early warning of the Kremlin campaign to disrupt the 2016 American election. Congressional and federal investigators were closing in on evidence that would implicate the company. Sheera Frenkel, Nicholas Confessore, Cecilia Kang, Matthew Rosenberg and Jack Nicas in the New York Times -- 11/14/18

 

California Policy & Politics This Morning  

Democrat Harder ousts California GOP US Rep. Denham -- First-time candidate Josh Harder defeated four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham Tuesday in California’s farm belt, giving Democrats their fourth pickup of a GOP House seat in California. Michael R. Blood Associated Press Michael Finnegan and Maya Sweedler in the Los Angeles Times Adam Nagourney in the New York Times Brian Clark in the Modesto Bee -- 11/14/18

Democrat Katie Porter overtakes Republican Mimi Walters in 45th; 39th House race now a virtual tie as late ballot counts swing left -- If those patterns continue, it’s possible Orange County – which Ronald Reagan famously described as “the place good Republicans go to die” – soon will have no GOP representatives in Washington D.C., after Republicans lost two other local House seats this cycle. Jordan Graham in the Orange County Register -- 11/14/18

Election results keep getting better for California Democrats -- The contours of California’s blue wave have come into focus with each new vote tally. Casey Tolan in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Thurmond opens substantial lead over Tuck in race for California schools chief -- Thurmond has not only erased the 86,000 vote lead Marshall Tuck enjoyed last Wednesday, but as of Tuesday at 6 p.m. now leads Tuck by a 67,161 vote margin, according to the latest figures released Tuesday afternoon by the California Secretary of State. Louis Freedberg EdSource -- 11/14/18

Presumptive DA-elect Todd Spitzer gets green light from District Attorney Tony Rackauckas to start transitioning office -- Spitzer, a county supervisor and former prosecutor and state assemblyman, led by 5 percent after the Nov. 6 polling, and his lead grew to 6.6 percent Tuesday evening with 261,600 late ballots yet to be counted. Rackauckas did not issue a formal concession, but he made it clear that a change is coming to the office. Tony Saavedra in the Orange County Register -- 11/14/18

More than 11,000 votes down, Democrat Campa-Najjar has yet to concede to Rep. Duncan Hunter -- Despite a highly contentious race in the 50th Congressional District, Rep. Duncan Hunter and his Democratic challenger Ammar Campa-Najjar do agree on at least one thing — it remains important that all the votes are counted. Charles T. Clark in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/14/18

Villanueva now ahead of McDonnell in LA County Sheriff’s race by more than 22,000 votes -- Retired Sheriff’s Lt. Alex Villanueva significantly expanded his lead against Sheriff Jim McDonnell by 22,192 votes based on the latest tallies released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder late Tuesday afternoon Nov. 13. David Rosenfeld in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/14/18

Democrat Christy Smith takes lead over Republican Assemblyman Dante Acosta in LA-area race -- Democrat Christy Smith took the lead over Republican Assemblyman Dante Acosta after thousands more votes were counted Tuesday in a Los Angeles-area race for the California Legislature. Kevin Modesti in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/14/18

Hurtado claims victory in state Senate race after opening up 8,000-vote lead over Vidak -- The latest Kern County election results update pushed Hurtado into an 8,000-vote lead over Vidak, who won a seat in the Senate through a special election in 2013. She now leads by eight percentage points. Rory Appleton in the Fresno Bee -- 11/14/18

Walters: The politics of California’s killer wildfires -- Californians – most of us, anyway – loath President Donald Trump and the state’s voters punished him this month by possibly flipping nearly half of its Republican-held congressional districts. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 11/14/18

Gov. Jerry Brown is still calling the shots, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom says -- With all eyes on California’s next leader, Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom took a moment Tuesday to remind everyone that Gov. Jerry Brown is still calling the shots. Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Challenger Alex Villanueva widens lead over incumbent Jim McDonnell in race for L.A. County Sheriff -- Challenger Alex Villanueva widened his lead in a historically close election for Los Angeles County sheriff in the latest vote totals announced Tuesday. But it’s unknown whether the retired lieutenant’s 22,000-vote margin over Sheriff Jim McDonnell is wide enough to signal a victory, with 688,000 votes still left to be counted. Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

San Francisco doctor was told by the NRA to stay in her lane. She said no -- Friday started typically for Judy Melinek. The San Francisco forensic pathologist called into work and learned that she had one gunshot victim to autopsy. Often, there are more. Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

Tough food-stamp requirements, help for CA growers at stake in Congress -- As Congress returns from its weeks-long election recess, it has a piece of unfinished business that is critical to a nearly $50 billion California industry and millions of Americans on food stamps. There’s hope the election results could finally get it over the finish line. Tal Kopan in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

Wildfire  

Camp Fire death toll now at 48, worst in state history -- Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea did not release additional identities of the dead or update the number of people believed to be missing. To date, the sheriff has released the names of only three victims as officials continue the laborious task of collecting remains and preparing for DNA testing to discover the identities of some victims. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee Kurtis Alexander and J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle Martha Mendoza and Gillian Flaccus Associated Press Nicole Santa Cruz and Alene Tchekmedyian in the Los Angeles Times Emily DeRuy, Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

“It was so windy it was hard to stand up”: Caltrans worker one of first to spot Camp Fire -- Helmstalk saw the state’s most destructive and deadly fire in its infancy from his Caltrans yard about a mile south of the Poe Dam where the fire ignited. Firefighter radio transmissions and PG&E regulatory filings indicate a transmission line may have sparked the fire amid heavy winds that blew the fire up the valley ridges. Matthias Gafni in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Paradise residents say they received no mass cellphone alerts to evacuate, or to warn of fires -- Life-saving evacuation alerts failed to reach many residents during the catastrophic Camp Fire early Thursday morning, causing terrifying and crowded last-minute escapes, even death. Angry residents say they received no official warning to flee and instead learned late of the danger when they smelled smoke or saw flames, or from family or neighbors — then faced gridlocked traffic, surrounded by flames, along the town’s few exit routes. Lisa M. Krieger, David DeBolt in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Trapped by Camp Fire, more than a dozen people — one 90 — survived in chilly lake -- When Scott realized that his lakeside home in the wooded hills of Butte County was surrounded by fire, he knew he had only one way out: the water. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

Despite fire after fire, Paradise continued to boom — until California's worst wildfire hit -- When Greg Bolin arrived in Paradise in 1967, the Sierra Nevada foothill town was too small to require traffic lights. It felt unplanned and slightly spontaneous. Rustic wood-sided cabins sprouted up along winding, often narrow, roads — the kind of place you could live in for decades and still not know all its secrets. Paige St. John and Anna M. Phillips in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

California fires: Diaspora from Paradise waits, anxiously, to return to devastated homes -- What becomes of Paradise, once residents are allowed back in to witness the comprehensive devastation firsthand, is a mystery. Many here just simply do not know how bad the damage is. Scott Wilson in the Washington Post -- 11/14/18

A Search in Fire-Ravaged California for What No One Wants to Find -- It is a measure of how frequent and deadly wildfires have become in California that identifying badly burned remains has become an area of expertise. Once again cadaver dogs have been summoned, forensic dental experts will follow and coroners and anthropologists are using their experience from previous wildfires to locate the victims. Julie Turkewitz and Thomas Fuller in the New York Times -- 11/14/18

Camp Fire: Map tool helps survivors discover damage of homes, businesses -- The “Camp Fire Structure Status” map is a resource for residents who want to know the status of their homes and businesses, and in some cases see pictures. Users can plug addresses into a search engine and the map pulls data that shows photos of buildings, or what remains, on the property. Information is frequently updated. Gwendolyn Wu in the San Francisco Chronicle Michael Finch in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

Billionaire with yacht, surfers and other volunteers help deliver supplies to fire-charred Malibu -- It was the kind of relief effort one might expect to see only on one of those sun-kissed reality TV shows about wealthy, tanned and really good-looking people in Southern California. Benjamin Oreskes in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Nurse torched his truck rescuing people from California fire. Toyota stepped in to help -- Even as nurse Alynn Pierce thought he was going to “die in melted plastic,” he revved his truck and took it back into the searing flames of the Camp Fire to help the patients who were in danger, the New York Times reported. Scott Berson in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

Retired couple ripped apart during Camp Fire — he survived, she’s missing -- Rick and Lolene Rios had lost everything in a wildfire before. The retired couple made it out unscathed when their home in the small community of Concow burned in the 1990s. But when the Camp Fire last week hit Paradise — where they had relocated — they weren’t so lucky. Evan Sernoffsky in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

When will it rain, clearing out smoke, cutting California fire risk? -- For the past week, California has been locked in a tense, daily mix of choking thick smoke and dangerously dry, windy fire-weather conditions. But an end might be around the corner. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Tense moments as Malibu's addiction centers evacuate clients with flames approaching -- From their perch atop Trancas Canyon, straddling the Ventura-Los Angeles county line, the staff at Creative Care addiction treatment center could see signs of the large fire building Thursday. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Thousand Oaks declares state of emergency amid fires -- The Thousand Oaks City Council voted to declare a state of emergency Tuesday because of fires that burned hillsides and homes in the city last week. Soumya Karlamangla in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

In hundreds of handwritten notes, families look for Paradise residents still missing after fires -- At Chico’s Neighborhood Church, hundreds of handwritten names are listed on a board, a makeshift information center for anxious relatives and friends to find one another. The board, at a Red Cross shelter, is a throwback to the era before Facebook and Twitter. On white and yellow lined paper, friends and relatives write down the names of the missing, their relationship to the person, and a contact number. Photos and personal messages are also posted. The item is in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Desperately searching for his brother in Paradise, he tries to stay hopeful as the days pass -- Over the last several days, Blake Bellairs, 36, has been searching for his younger brother, Josh. Bellairs and his girlfriend drove down from Medford, Ore., on Monday night to pick up his mother and stepfather, residents of Paradise who lost everything in the fire. Finding Josh, 32, hasn't been so easy. Nicole Santa Cruz in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Camp Fire: 48 funerals and counting … ‘It’s beyond words, really’ -- At every community meeting since the start of California’s deadliest wildfire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea is the last one to speak. The worst news is always saved for the end. “I’m the sheriff and I’m also your coroner,” he will say to the fire refugees filling the auditorium. “Unfortunately the news I have for you is not good.” Julia Prodis Sulek in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

PG&E sued by Camp Fire victims -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and its parent company were sued Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court by attorneys representing several victims of the Camp Fire, one of what will likely be multiple legal attempts to hold the utility responsible for the historic disaster. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

PG&E: Line needing work near Camp Fire origin was not the one company reported -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said Tuesday that a line it had sought to work on in the area of the origin point of the Camp Fire was not the same line it had reported as having experienced problems shortly before the blaze ignited. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

Burned out Paradise resident: ‘I’m suing.’ Is PG&E in financial peril? -- Doreen Zimmerman of Paradise lost her home of 29 years last week, fleeing with her new litter of a dozen puppies in the family car as flaming embers rained down. She isn’t sure if she will return. “Will I be able to sleep if I live there?” she asks. “I don’t know.” One thing she says she knows: She’s suing. Tony Bizjak, Sophia Bollag and Alexei Koseff in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

PG&E to pay Calaveras County $25.4 million for 2015 Butte Fire -- Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has agreed to pay Calaveras County $25.4 million for economic damages stemming from the 2015 Butte Fire. A Cal Fire investigation concluded the fire began in September 2015 after a PG&E power line touched brush and sparked flames that killed two people, destroyed 1,000 structures and burned 71,000 acres, mostly in Calaveras County. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

Continued power shutoffs by SDG&E for fire safety prompt second day of school closures -- Seven backcountry school districts and two schools outside those districts will close Wednesday because of fire danger that led San Diego Gas & Electric to shut off power to several rural mountain communities, county officials said. Alex Riggins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/14/18

In stunning loss, 83% of Santa Monica Mountains federal parkland burned in Woolsey fire -- The Santa Monica Mountains, which stretch from Hollywood Hills to Point Mugu in Ventura County, have long offered Southern Californians a respite from the city below with the range’s array of hiking trails, waterfalls and rock pools. And its sprawling ranch land has given Hollywood real-world ties to the frontier life it exhaustively depicted on screen. The Woolsey fire destroyed more than 400 structures but also took a deep toll on landmark areas of the mountain areas. David Pierson in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Paradise Town Council meets, shattered by fire’s devastation but doing its duty -- It had been only five days, and the Camp Fire was still burning, but life had to move on. So on Tuesday night, the Paradise Town Council met. Not in its own chambers at its own Town Hall — which is smoke-damaged — but a few miles away at Chico City Hall, where a white sticker was smoothed onto a first-floor office door that read: “Paradise Town Hall.” Lizzie Johnson in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/14/18

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West hire private firefighters to save mansion from Woolsey Fire -- As deadly wildfires have raged through California, destroying more than 10,000 homes up and down the state, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had the luxury of hiring a private firefighting force to battle flames surrounding their $60 million mansion outside Los Angeles, TMZ reported. Martha Ross in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 11/14/18

Economy, Employers, Jobs, Unions, Pensions  

L.A. City Council committee endorses $1.2-billion expansion of convention center and hotel -- A proposal for a $1.2-billion subsidized development that would add hundreds of hotel rooms at L.A. Live and substantially enlarge the Los Angeles Convention Center was moved forward Tuesday by a City Council committee. Roger Vincent in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Los Angeles loses bid to house Amazon’s HQ2 but some say that’s a good thing -- Los Angeles lost its bid to house Amazon’s second headquarters, but some experts say that’s probably a good thing as the online retailer’s outsized plan would have strained a region in which it’s already a huge and fast-growing employer. Kevin Smith in the Orange County Register -- 11/14/18

H-1B alternative OPT for foreign students and grads hits record, as enrollment falls -- Even as the number of new foreign students enrolling in U.S. post-secondary schools has fallen for the past two school years, the number of international students and graduates on a controversial work permit has hit record levels, according to a new report. Ethan Baron in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Cannabis 

With Jeff Sessions out, is legal cannabis in, nationally? Advocates say it’s complicated, but they’re optimistic -- As late midterm votes are tallied and the last few tight races are called, cannabis rights advocates are celebrating a week that they say could accelerate drug reform across the country. Brooke Staggs in the Orange County Register -- 11/14/18

Immigration, Border, Deportation 

Hundreds of Central Americans arrive in Tijuana, more on way -- Carrying blankets and backpacks, a group of 356 Central American migrants arrived in Tijuana on Tuesday, joining dozens of other arrivals from a large caravan that has been making its way to the U.S. border. Sandra Dibble, Gustavo Solis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 11/14/18

Education 

Pepperdine University defends 'shelter in place' decision during Woolsey fire -- At a community meeting on Sunday, some residents complained that the university’s action caused firefighting resources to be diverted from other parts of the city to defend the school against flames. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

CSU applications extended for California students in wildfire areas -- CSU is presently accepting applications to all 23 campuses for the fall 2019 academic term. The priority application period normally ends on Nov. 30, but will be extended to Dec. 15 for qualifying applicants who have experienced hardship as a result of fires such as the Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire and Hill Fire. Andrew Sheeler in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/14/18

L.A. school board wants to end fee for parent fingerprinting and find more ways to help the homeless -- Volunteering in a Los Angeles public school is about to get less expensive. The school board on Tuesday directed the superintendent to stop charging volunteers — including students’ relatives — fees for required fingerprinting. Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

ICC closing California culinary school in Campbell -- The South Bay’s high housing costs and limited public transportation options are forcing the International Culinary Center in Campbell to close its doors after eight years. Regarded as a prestigious training academy for chefs and sommeliers, the ICC will consolidate classes at its flagship New York center by mid-2019, the school announced Tuesday. Linda Zavoral in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/14/18

Environment 

EPA plans to rewrite truck pollution rules, but it's unclear how much stricter they'll get -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it would begin rewriting smog rules for heavy-duty trucks, but offered little clarity on how much the initiative would seek to slash or strengthen regulations and whether it might conflict with California’s efforts to develop its own stricter emissions limits. Tony Barboza in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

POTUS 45  

Trump, stung by midterms and nervous about Mueller, retreats from traditional presidential duties -- For weeks this fall, an ebullient President Trump traveled relentlessly to hold raise-the-rafters campaign rallies — sometimes three a day — in states where his presence was likely to help Republicans on the ballot. Eli Stokols in the Los Angeles Times -- 11/14/18

Five days of fury: Inside Trump’s Paris temper, election woes and staff upheaval -- As he jetted to Paris last Friday, President Trump received a congratulatory phone call aboard Air Force One. British Prime Minister Theresa May was calling to celebrate the Republican Party’s wins in the midterm elections — never mind that Democrats seized control of the House — but her appeal to the American president’s vanity was met with an ornery outburst. Josh Dawsey and Philip Rucker in the Washington Post -- 11/14/18

Trump refuses to acknowledge the fraught history of nationalism -- President Trump took a peevish tone Tuesday as he revisited complaints about French President Emmanuel Macron, who used a weekend commemoration of the end of World War I to warn the president during his visit to Paris of the perils of the nationalist label he embraces and to suggest he has a lot to learn about history. Anne Gearan in the Washington Post -- 11/14/18

For Trump, even disaster response is colored in red and blue -- A president who prizes and craves loyalty more than any other attribute, Trump has divided states into ones that voted for him and the ones that didn’t, and found that last group wanting. In California, that has meant state officials are having to fight not only killer fires but also the combustible rhetoric coming from the Oval Office. Matt Viser and Seung Min Kim in the Washington Post -- 11/14/18

Beltway 

What’s an Election Loss When He’s ‘My Kevin’? McCarthy Appears Set to Lead House G.O.P. -- Mr. McCarthy would seem to be in a precarious spot, the No. 2 Republican leader when his party was shellacked on Election Day, now seeking a promotion to No. 1. But being on the speed dial of a mercurial president who has called him “my Kevin” is one of Mr. McCarthy’s chief arguments for why he should be the one to lead House Republicans out of their newfound political wilderness. Julie Hirschfeld Davis in the New York Times -- 11/14/18

 

-- Tuesday Updates 

Bay Area’s lone GOP lawmaker is barely hanging on as counting continues -- Early vote counts after last week’s election put East Bay Assemblywoman Catharine Baker ahead of Democratic challenger Rebecca Bauer-Kahan by a narrow margin. That margin has been whittled down to a mere 526 votes — 80,069 to 79,543, or 50.2 to 49.8 percent. Holly Honderich in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/13/18

US hardens border at Tijuana to prepare for migrant caravan -- The U.S. government said it was starting work on Tuesday to “harden” the border crossing from Tijuana, Mexico, to prepare for the arrival of a migrant caravan leapfrogging its way across western Mexico. Maria Versa Associated Press -- 11/13/18

Southern California wildfire roars to life in wilderness -- Southern California’s huge wildfire roared to life again Tuesday in a mountain wilderness area even as many neighborhoods were reopened to thousands of residents who fled its advance last week. A massive plume rose suddenly at midmorning in the Santa Monica Mountains near the community of Lake Sherwood, prompting authorities to send aircraft to drop retardant and water on the blaze. Christopher Weber and Brian Melley Associated Press -- 11/13/18

Camp Fire: Death toll of 42 expected to rise as fire grows to 125,000 acres -- The deadly Camp Fire in Butte County has killed at least 42 people and grew another 8,000 acres overnight to burn nearly 600 more structures by Tuesday, officials said. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/13/18

Displaced by Camp Fire, doctors and nurses open makeshift clinic for victims -- The Paradise hospital where she has worked as a nurse for more than a decade was damaged by the Camp Fire last Thursday and her home burned to the ground, but Birgitte Randall and her colleagues weren’t in the mood to feel sorry for themselves. Sam Stanton in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/13/18

North Bay schools close as smoky air ‘puts us all in jeopardy’ -- Nearly 90 percent of school districts in Sonoma County shut down Tuesday due to the smoky air from the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, and officials extended an air quality alert for the Bay Area through the rest of the week. Sarah Ravani in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/13/18

Dogs and DNA: Search for California fire victims intensifies -- Authorities moved to set up a rapid DNA-analysis system and bring in cadaver dogs, mobile morgues and more search teams in an intensified effort to find and identify victims of the deadliest wildfire in California history, an inferno that killed at least 42 people. Martha Mendoza and Gillian Flaccus Associated Press -- 11/13/18

Fire-weary California homeowners face long road to recovery -- It’s always a challenge to recuperate after any disaster, but California residents face a unique problem. Experts say the seemingly endless series of devastating wildfires in recent years has increased costs and limited the available pool of workers needed to rebuild. Sarah Skidmore Sell Associated Press -- 11/13/18

Cyrus, Hemsworth donate $500K after losing home in wildfire -- Though Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth lost their home in a deadly California wildfire, they are donating $500,000 to The Malibu Foundation through Cyrus’ charity, The Happy Hippie Foundation. Mesfin Fekadu Associated Press -- 11/13/18

Sac State closes campus, UC Davis cancels classes over health risk from Camp Fire smoke -- Sacramento State closed its campus and UC Davis canceled all classes Tuesday due to the poor air quality across Northern California as smoke from the Camp Fire continues to create unhealthy conditions. Michael McGough in the Sacramento Bee -- 11/13/18

CA rent-control advocates aren’t giving up after Prop. 10’s landslide loss -- Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, says he and other lawmakers are discussing bills to help tenants for the legislative session that begins Jan. 7, including proposals to prevent steep rent increases during housing crises and to strengthen just-cause eviction laws. Melody Gutierrez in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 11/13/18

The end of cash tolls — even toll plazas — in the Bay Area? -- Replacing cash tolls with an all-electronic system, or possibly removing the plazas entirely, is one of the few ways to speed traffic in bridge corridors regularly doubling as parking lots during crush-load commute hours, said Randy Rentschler, a spokesperson for the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), which is in charge of collecting tolls on all Bay Area bridges except the Golden Gate Bridge. Erin Baldassari in the San Jose Mercury -- 11/13/18

Fox: Here’s a Suggestion for a New Cabinet Post: Secretary of Initiatives -- As governor-elect Gavin Newsom considers positions in his cabinet he might think about creating a new cabinet post and officer: Secretary of Initiatives. With the Democratic dominance in the capitol the initiative process may gain even more influence as a method to bring ideological balance to policy discussions. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 11/13/18