• Our hearts are with our Southern California friends tonight, as the devastating Palisades Fire that just broke out Tuesday morning has suddenly grown to nearly 3,000 acres, and has resulted in some 30,000 people being evacuated. The fire is consuming the Santa Monica Mountains, and while there are currently no deaths or injuries reported, overnight wind gusts may make this fire much worse. [LAist]
  • New Giants president Buster Posey made one hell of a splash in free agency Tuesday, signing three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who led the league in ERA as recently as 2022. Verlander is 42 and did not have a great season last year with the Astros, but is an obvious mentor to the younger pitchers, and is playing on a one-year deal. [ESPN]
  • Hey, remember that news from a year-and-a-half ago that Clipper card would just let you tap your debit or credit card to pay transit fare? Yeah, that whole thing is now delayed indefinitely. The update was supposed to arrive this past summer, then got delayed until April 2025, and now SF Metropolitan Transportation Commission officials are just throwing up their arms and declaring, “There’s not yet a new target date.” [SF Examiner]
  • Supervisor Aaron Peskin did an exit interview with KPIX, who vaguely but intriguingly assert that Peskin is “not walking away from city politics, at least not entirely.” They do not explain this further. [KPIX]
  • That February 2024 San Mateo murder-suicide apparently committed by a former Google and Meta software engineer has the county’s coroner now saying that alleged killer Anand Henry likely smothered his twin four-year-old sons with a pillow. [Chronicle]
  • After a suspected stabbing Tuesday morning at the Hayward BART station, two people have been detained, and the victim was hospitalized. [KRON4]

Image: CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 28: Justin Verlander #35 of the Houston Astros throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 28, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)