Newsletter: TimesOC: Orange County is ground zero for fundraising in state’s hotly contested races

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Nov. 8. Here’s what’s been happening around O.C.

Top story

O.C. is ground zero for fundraising in state’s most-contested races

More than half of the money raised for the most-contested House races in California is going to candidates in Orange County, another indication of its starring role in Democrats’ effort to win back control of the House next year. Democrats need to win at least a few of California’s Republican-held districts to secure the 24 seats the party needs. The once reliably Republican Orange County backed Democrat Hillary Clinton for president last year, and Democratic candidates have come out in droves to challenge Republican House incumbents in O.C. Los Angeles Times

Around the county

State appeals court sides with Huntington Beach in ruling against affordable-housing lawsuit

A state appeals court has ruled in favor of Huntington Beach in a lawsuit filed against the city by an affordable-housing advocacy group. Daily Pilot

Public safety

Destructive O.C. fire was caused by ember from earlier wildfire

A wildfire that burned dozens of homes in Orange County last month was sparked by an ember from a fire that erupted days earlier in the area, authorities said. Los Angeles Times

Deputies seize weapons from ex-Soka University student who threatened ‘killing spree’

Authorities said they found several loaded rifles and shotguns inside the home of a 40-year-old man who threatened to go on a “killing spree” in a bizarre YouTube rant. David Kenneth Smith was charged with one felony count of making criminal threats, less than a week after he was arrested by Orange County sheriff’s deputies, prosecutors said. Los Angeles Times

Politics

Sides in Peotter recall fight report a combined $120,000 in fundraising

Detractors of Newport Beach City Councilman Scott Peotter have raised close to $80,000 toward their effort to recall him, while the pro-Peotter camp has countered with more than $40,000. Daily Pilot

Food & drink

Microbrewed Beer Club offers monthly subscriptions to the craft beer industry’s best

Kris Calef drinks a lot of bad beer. For over 20 years, Calef and his team at Lake Forest-based MonthlyClubs.com have convened at biweekly beer-tasting panels, where they sift through samples sent by breweries around the world. TimesOC

Life & arts

Roller derby women find sisterhood and encouragement on wheels

When Brenna Vigneau moved from Rhode Island to Aliso Viejo three years ago, she was so homesick she cried every day until the night she went to Oktoberfest at Old World in Huntington Beach. A couple of women roller-skated up to her and said something about how she seemed to like the beer she was drinking, so maybe she’d like roller derby. Los Angeles Times

Artist memorializes his late wife with ‘Air Becomes Breath’ exhibit

Artist Richard Turner has created plenty of memorials during his career but none has been as personal as this. Turner’s “Air Becomes Breath” exhibit at Santa Ana College’s Main Art Gallery honors and remembers Sylvia Turner, the artist’s late wife of 48 years. TimesOC

Rock opera ‘Chess’ develops a metaphor for political and romantic intrigue

“Chess,” the 1980s rock opera that infused international chessboard showdowns with Cold War espionage and love-triangle intrigue, will come to the Irvine Barclay Theatre Nov. 11-18. TimesOC

Obituary

Tom White, motorcycle racer and entrepreneur, dies at 68

Motorcycle racing legend Tom White, who made a fortune as an aftermarket parts entrepreneur and later founded one of California’s most admired motorcycle museums, has died at age 68. Los Angeles Times

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to [email protected].