Trump’s reelection means Round 2 against California’s progressive agenda

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• California’s liberal leaders prepare for another contentious Trump term.
• A Ventura County fire exploded, trapping residents, causing injuries and burning homes.
• The best freebies and discounts for L.A.’s 50-plus crowd.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

A second Trump term sets the stage for another four years of showdowns with California

With a majority of ballots counted across the nation, it really wasn’t close.

Donald Trump sailed to victory in his campaign to retake the White House, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris by securing the minimum 270 electoral votes (and then some). Trump is also on track to win the popular vote, leading Harris by nearly 5 million votes as of this publication.

Before the election day dust settled, the Golden State’s liberal leaders and progressive activists were already gearing up for four more years of legal judo against Trump’s hard-right agenda.

“Trump in his early-Wednesday victory speech said the American people had given Republicans an ‘unprecedented and powerful mandate’ to usher in their conservative agenda,” my colleagues Kevin Rector and Angie Orellana Hernandez reported. “[That] includes the largest mass deportation in U.S. history, sharp restrictions on abortion, slashed environmental regulations, strengthened gun rights and fewer queer rights.”

Supporters of Donald Trump celebrate as Fox News declares him the next president of the United States during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center.

(Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images)

The former and future POTUS has ratcheted up his rhetoric against Democrats this election cycle, calling name-brand California liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam B. Schiff the “enemy from within.”

He’s also threatened to withhold federal disaster aid to the state for future wildfire relief efforts if he wins in November — unless Newsom changes state water policy to allow more to flow to farmers and homeowners. California’s supplies through the State Water Project are projected to shrink up to 23% within 20 years because of climate change.

What are California’s liberal leaders saying?

They kept quiet Wednesday until Harris conceded in an address to supporters at Howard University, where she emphasized the importance of accepting the election results and peacefully transferring power back to Trump in January.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said.

Following her speech, Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X that “California will seek to work with the incoming president.”

“But let there be no mistake, we intend to stand with states across our nation to defend our Constitution and uphold the rule of law,” he added.

In his victory speech, Schiff, who handily won the race to become California’s next U.S. senator, said the state “will continue to be at the forefront of progress, the bulwark of democracy, the champion of innovation and the protector of our rights and freedoms.”

State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta had already been strategizing what his office could implement should Trump win, prepping for a potential barrage of environmental, immigration and civil rights lawsuits.

“If Trump doesn’t break the law, if he doesn’t violate the Constitution, if he doesn’t overreach his authority in unlawful ways, there’ll be nothing for us to do,” Bonta told The Times. “But if he does what he did last time, and if he does what Project 2025 suggests he will do, of course we will clash with him in court — because he will be breaking the law.”

During Trump’s first term, then-Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra sued his administration over 100 times.

“Democratic attorneys general won 83% of the 155 lawsuits they brought against the first Trump administration,” Angie and Kevin noted, citing a tally by political science professor Paul Nolette.

Round 2 is almost certain to be a tougher fight.

Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and author of the new book “Partisan Nation,” told my colleagues that Trump’s second term will present California with new challenges.

“There just are a lot of federal policies that Trump will push that can have a big impact on the state, and the tools to resist it may be limited, especially given Trump’s aggressive willingness to use executive power,” Schickler said, “And then the fact that the courts are generally controlled by conservatives who take a strong view of presidential power.”

Among the targets Trump is likely to take aim at: California’s nation-leading clean air initiatives. Those include a ban on new gasoline-powered car sales by 2035 and a phase-out of diesel-fueled trucks and locomotives from state ports and railyards by 2036.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted waivers that authorize the Golden State to set its own vehicle emission standards — waivers that a Trump-controlled EPA could revoke (as called for in Project 2025).

“Collectively, California’s eight pending clean air rules were expected to prevent 11,000 premature deaths and provide $116 billion in health benefits over the next three decades, according to the American Lung Assn.,” Times reporter Tony Briscoe explained this week. “But federal inaction has delayed the enforcement of seven of the eight regulations.”

Other ideological battles may feel like déjà vu to Calfornians who’ve witnessed similar state vs. federal fights in recent years over access to abortion, race-conscious education in public schools, and protections for transgender people.

And with Trump vowing to launch “the largest mass deportation program in history,” immigration is certain to remain a flashpoint in California, home to more than 10 million foreign-born residents — the largest share in the nation.

Today’s top stories

Flames leap from a burning home along Old Coach Drive after the Mountain fire exploded in size.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Multiple homes burned as a Ventura County fire exploded to 14,000 acres, trapping residents

• Fueled by blasts from one of the most extreme wind events in years, the Mountain fire threatened 3,500 homes and other structures and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people
• You can find information on road closures, evacuation orders and shelters here.
• The extreme wind events known as the Santa Ana winds are notorious for being hot, dry and dusty, but the quality that really defines these “devil winds” is their direction.

The incoming LAPD chief could make more money than the U.S. president

• Jim McDonnell could be paid $450,000 a year after the Police Commission voted to lower an initial request of $507,509 due to the city’s financial constraints.
• McDonnell would still make more money than the next U.S. president, but he would not be the highest-paid city employee. That distinction goes to Water and Power general manager Janisse Quiñones, who earns $750,000 a year.

The best freebies and discounts for L.A.’s 50-plus crowd

• Free college classes, national park passes and cheap movie tickets are just some of the perks provided to older Angelenos — and ones younger generations can hopefully look forward to.
• Nearly a third of Los Angeles residents are over 50. And we’re aging collectively — L.A. County’s median age rose 2.6 years between 2012 and 2022.

What else is going on

• An L.A. gynecologist accused of unwanted “religious counseling” has surrendered his license.
• A San Diego man was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually abusing a teenager aboard a flight.
• The FTC accused an L.A. cash app of charging hidden fees.
• An invasive fruit fly species puts parts of Orange County under quarantine.
• Shohei Ohtani’s labrum surgery could delay his return to pitching, but it shouldn’t impact his swing.

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Commentary and opinions

• There’s no mystery — white women handed Trump the election, columnist LZ Granderson writes.
• With new Trump presidency, California is in for the fight of our lives, columnist Anita Chabria writes.
• Trump wins and it’s a dark night for America’s soul, columnist Mark Z. Barabak argues.
• California, it’s going to be OK — this is still our moment, writes Shelby Grad, deputy managing editor at The Times.
• California doesn’t have to choose between public safety and criminal justice reform, the Editorial Board writes.

This morning’s must reads

People line up Tuesday at the Paso del Norte international bridge in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to show documents and request appointments to apply for asylum in the United States.

(Christian Chavez / Associated Press)

Mexico is bracing for a new Trump presidency after threats of tariffs, deportations and attacks. The president-elect’s vows to impose steep taxes on goods imported from Mexico — up to 100% or more on vehicles — is viewed as a profound threat in a nation heavily dependent on trade with the United States.

Other must reads

• Trump’s win may extend conservative control of the Supreme Court for decades.
• Beyond the big stock market rally, what does Trump’s victory mean for the economy?

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

There are plenty of wonderful ways to explore L.A. on foot.

(Illustrations by Alva Skog / For The Times; Photos by Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times, Al Seib / Los Angeles Times, and Wojtek Zagorski / Getty Images)

Going out

• 🚶Need to take a walk? The Times put together a guide to essential walking paths that will show you the best of L.A.
• 🍷 These L.A. restaurants provide tasty gift ideas that you don’t need to be a foodie to enjoy.
• 🔍 Part theater, part puzzles, this real-life video game takes you across L.A.

Staying in

• 🎶 K-pop star Joshua rose to fame in Seoul but forever reps L.A.
• 💻 Restoration videos on YouTube provide a soothing distraction in a time of great uncertainty, according to our television critic.
• 🥗 Here’s a recipe for ash reshteh.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What’s your favorite political drama or comedy?

Louie writes: “I would add ‘The Candidate’ to the list of movies you mentioned. It reflects the tenor of the times it was made very well.”

Diane from San Diego writes: “‘Idiocracy.’ Absolutely relevant today. Two time travelers awake in the future. The movie does a great job of explaining natural selection for Darwin fans. 🤗”

And John writes: “”The Manchurian Candidate.’”

Feel free to email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Today’s photo is from John Nelson of Playa del Rey: a sunset in Marina del Rey as seen from the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center.

John writes: “UCLA’s Aquatic Center has been a sailing, rowing, and water sports resource for the Southland in Marina del Rey since the harbor was opened in the 1960s.”

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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