Four people found dead in San Francisco home; police probe possible murder-suicide
San Francisco homicide detectives spent much of Wednesday inside a Monterey Boulevard residence after firefighters answering a welfare call discovered four bodies. Police have offered few details, but two law-enforcement sources told local media the case is being treated as a potential murder-suicide. The quiet Westwood Highlands neighborhood was sealed off for hours while crime-scene investigators gathered evidence and spoke with shaken neighbors. Parallel reports from KRON4, CBS Bay Area and KTVU confirmed the death count and the early focus of the inquiry.
Public Safety
• Even before Wednesday’s grim discovery, San Francisco police were touting progress on violent-crime clearances. A new suite of high-tech tools and fresh staffing have helped detectives boost the homicide solve rate, according to department figures released this week.
• Across the Bay, Oakland police are facing fresh turbulence. Chief Floyd Mitchell said he will step down in December after just 18 months, citing undisclosed personal reasons. His abrupt exit, covered by the Chronicle, KRON4 and KTVU, comes as the city records a sustained drop in violent crime but still wrestles with federal oversight and staffing shortages.
• A late-night pursuit that began on city streets and sped across the Bay Bridge ended with one arrest in Oakland, the CHP told NBC Bay Area. Officers said the driver had ignored multiple traffic violations before fleeing.
Politics & Government
• Ballots arriving this week ask Californians to decide Proposition 50, Governor Gavin Newsom’s bid to redraw congressional districts in response to a mid-decade Texas gerrymander. In the Central Valley, competing billboards and bridge-top demonstrators frame the vote as a Newsom-versus-Trump showdown. Analysts say the measure could shift up to five House seats, while critics such as columnist Dan Walters call it “a nakedly partisan power play” in CalMatters.
• The next housing flashpoint may come from the hills above Palo Alto. Wealthy Los Altos Hills is trying to scale back the density of a previously approved apartment site, prompting warnings from advocates that the town is dodging state law. The detailed back-and-forth is outlined in CalMatters’ investigation.
• In San Mateo County, a retired judge has found cause to remove Sheriff Christina Corpus over allegations of retaliation and abuse of power. The Board of Supervisors will now decide whether to oust the sheriff, whose six-year term was created when state lawmakers synced county law-enforcement elections with presidential cycles. Latest developments are in NBC Bay Area’s report.
CalMattersEducation & Community
• A new state law signed by Governor Newsom aims to prevent sexual abuse on K-12 campuses. Senate Bill 848 mandates staff training and creates a statewide database of teachers under investigation, closing loopholes that allowed abusers to change schools undetected.
• “Walk and Roll to School Week” is underway in San Francisco, with officials urging families to skip the car and highlight pedestrian safety. The campaign follows data showing an average of three pedestrian collisions per day citywide, KTVU reports.
• A broad look at state agencies experimenting with digital town halls, participatory budgeting and wildfire response panels appears in a new Possibility Lab study, which argues California must modernize public engagement to rebuild trust.
CalMattersBusiness & Tech
• The Bay Area’s job market took another hit as several tech firms announced hundreds of layoffs tied to tariffs, regulations and slowing demand in China, according to Mercury News filings.
• Cyber-security heavyweight Palo Alto Networks continues its stock rally after unveiling new AI-driven products and a blockbuster deal for identity-security firm CyberArk. Analysts dissect the company’s strengths and risks in separate valuation notes and deal breakdowns.
• Meanwhile, Cisco Systems rolled out a 51.2-terabit “Silicon One P200” chip and matching router to knit AI data centers across continents. Microsoft and Alibaba are early adopters of the San Jose-built hardware, as detailed in SiliconANGLE and other tech outlets.
Local Weather
Today starts gray, with patchy drizzle giving way to partial afternoon sun and highs around 70 °F near the Bay, a few degrees warmer inland. Expect a string of mild, early-fall days through the weekend—highs in the upper 60s, cool nights in the mid-50s, and plenty of sunshine once morning clouds lift. A weak system could slip in late Monday, bringing the next chance of light rain and cooler highs in the low 60s.
Keep a light jacket handy for breezy evenings, and enjoy the comfortable stretch before wetter weather returns next week.