Good morning. Like everyone, I've been watching the pictures from Los Angeles with disbelief. On Sunday, the editorial board wrote about Chicago's experience with fire and how it served as a catalyst for the kind of renewal we all hope for our friends in Southern California.

Also Sunday, we wrote about a fascinating idea from Los Angeles: Building affordable housing on top of a Costco store. Aside from never running out of paper towels, residents live in relatively small apartments but the broader impact on the housing crisis is considerable. Will we see it happen in Chicago?

Today, we turn our attention to a name many readers will recognize: U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez from New Jersey, once among the most powerful politicians in Washington, who was convicted last summer in a bribery scheme and who awaits sentencing on Jan. 29. "Will Menendez get off with a slap on the wrist?," the board asks. And we also praise a judge who, when confronted with a felonious president who was duly elected by the American people, found an apt solution to the situation.

Our Opinion section is filled with interesting new pieces. Eric Muller looks at federal workers’ moral dilemmas, veteran columnist Clarence Page watched and opines on the funeral of Jimmy Carter and our architecture columnist, Edward Keegan, writes about the new president and his relationship with architecture. It's a fascinating take.

Today, we also have an expanded letter section on the Los Angeles fires and other topics. Have a great start to your week.

— Chris Jones, editorial page editor

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