FIRE WITH FIRE: Everyone wants to help victims of the wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and sent hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles-area residents fleeing for their lives. But no one is forgetting about the political optics, either. Enter the Spiderman pointing meme. Republicans are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to scrap his Donald Trump litigation special session in favor of one on wildfire mitigation, firefighting support and insurance. As Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones said today, they want fire-proofing, not Trump-proofing. (More on that below.) Democrats aren’t biting. Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire essentially told Playbook “thanks, but no thanks” in response to a letter from Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli pushing the wildfire session. “Right now our number one focus has to be getting these fires out and developing a recovery and rebuilding plan,” McGuire said. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas kicked the question to Newsom. “I’ve had zero conversations, this is the first I’ve heard of it,” Rivas told reporters at the Capitol. “Obviously, that call is for the governor to make.” Newsom’s team all but called the proposal a stunt, with spokesperson Izzy Gardon saying the governor is “focused on protecting people, not playing politics, and making sure firefighters have all the resources they need.” Meanwhile, more policy proposals are taking shape. — Rivas said he’s planning a bill “focused on expediting insurance claims for homeowners,” an issue that may become a major focus of this legislative session, with losses from the fires expected to reach tens of billions of dollars. As we reported yesterday, most L.A. County lawmakers have returned to their districts to help constituents — and their own families and friends, in some cases — deal with the fires. Those who remained in Sacramento mostly told Playbook they’re focused on getting immediate resources to victims, although some talked about wildfire mitigation and insurance costs. — State Sen. María Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat, said she wants to ensure that undocumented immigrants in her district who have lost their homes or jobs in the fires will receive assistance. She worried some won’t even try to get federal help because they fear deportation. “We want to make sure everybody, all Californians, are included in whatever relief we have,” she said. “Doesn't matter what it is, they should be treated the same way as everybody else. If the federal government doesn’t, the state will need to.” — Trump has used disaster aid as a cudgel for Newsom’s “incompetent” water policies — seemingly under the impression California has a central water switch the governor can simply flip on. But Republicans still believe he’ll come through with federal support. “I think there's a huge role for Republicans in the Legislature to play in terms of being a bridge and a liaison between California and the administration and asking for the resources that we need and helping to secure them,” said Santa Clarita GOP state Sen. Suzette Valladares. IT’S THURSDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
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