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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Clearlake woman arrested last month for what authorities said was a premeditated killing appeared in court this week to enter a plea in the case.
Dominique Irene Molina-Dominguez, 33, appeared in Lake County Superior Court on Tuesday morning for the July 10 killing of 38-year-old DeAndre Grinner.
She is charged with first-degree murder and special allegations of personal and intentional use of a firearm, and special aggravating circumstances that include a crime that involved great violence and involved a weapon.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson said that during her Tuesday court appearance, Molina-Dominguez pleaded not guilty to all counts and denied all of the special allegations.
He said she also waived her right to a speedy preliminary hearing within 10 court days but did not waive her right to a preliminary hearing within 60 calendar days.
Molina-Dominguez’s preliminary hearing is set for Sep. 11, Watson said.
Authorities say Molina-Dominguez laid in wait for Grinner at a home they shared in Clearlake on July 10, fatally shooting him and then calling police.
She’d previously been scheduled to enter her plea on July 16, but the matter was continued at the defense request, as Lake County News has reported.
Watson said he expects to know more about a motive in the case, which remains under active investigation, by the time of the September preliminary hearing.
Until then, Molina-Dominguez remains in custody at the Lake County Jail on $1 million bail, according to jail records.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The data covers more than 399,000 positions and approximately $28.87 billion in total wages.
The newly published data were reported by:
• 24 CSU institutions (116,235 employees);
• 56 superior courts (20,884 employees); and
• 157 state departments (262,097 employees).
The data showed that the Lake County Superior Court has 45 employees, with a total of $3,364,732 in wages and $602,804 in health and retirement contributions.
The top five jobs include the four judges’ positions, ranging in pay annually from $219,046 to $233,901, and in retirement and health contributions from $1,073 to $23,376, and the court executive officer, which makes $214,882 in annual pay and $39,610 in retirement and health contributions.
Among state department jobs, the highest paid position is the chief investment officer of the California State Teachers' Retirement System, who receives $1,739,709 annually, followed in the top five by the following:
• Chief investment officer, Public Employees' Retirement System: $1,604,690.
• Deputy chief investment officer, California State Teachers' Retirement System: $1,143,143.
• Deputy chief investment officer, California State Teachers' Retirement System: $1,031,286.
• Chief executive officer, State Teachers' Retirement: $984,623.
Users of the site can view compensation levels on maps and search by region, narrow results by name of the entity or by job title, and export raw data or custom reports.
California law requires cities, counties, and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller’s Office.
The State Controller’s Office also maintains and publishes state and CSU salary data. However, no such statutory requirement exists for the University of California, California community colleges, superior courts, fairs and expositions, First 5 commissions, or K-12 education providers; their reporting is voluntary.
Two superior courts — Alameda and Tuolumne — either did not file or filed a report that was noncompliant.
The site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
This alert came ahead of the 5.2 magnitude earthquake's shaking that was felt late Tuesday night throughout Central and Southern California.
The epicenter of Tuesday’s earthquake was in the community of Lamont, and was felt across large portions of Central and Southern California.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, which oversees California’s earthquake warning system, continues to coordinate closely with local officials in the impacted region to evaluate any issues or unmet needs.
Phones in the affected areas received notifications thanks to the state’s MyShake app, which sent 517,354 alerts, and even more Californians received alerts thanks to the public-private partnership between the state and Google, which has integrated the alert software into their Android cell phone operating systems.
“Our investments in cutting edge, innovative technologies are paying off. Efforts like these have allowed us to gain vital seconds between when alerts arrive on Californians’ mobile phones and when the ground starts shaking. Californians, I encourage you to download the app, it can save lives,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Following Tuesday’s earthquake, there were more than 46,692 new downloads of the MyShake App in just 12 hours.
In addition to the emergency alerts sent to individuals through MyShake and smartphones, California is also using the technology to automate protective actions such as opening firehouse doors, recalling elevators, shutting off water and gas valves as well as closing bridges gates and notifying personnel in school and medical settings. Because of this capability, Metrolink’s train system automatically generated a notice that an earthquake had occurred.
Download app to get earthquake warnings
“The system performed Tuesday — giving Californians many seconds of advance warning,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “This demonstrates that Californians are now more protected in the moments before the devastation of major earthquake hits.”
In 2019, on the 30th anniversary of the deadly Loma Prieta earthquake, Gov. Newsom announced the launch of the nation’s first statewide Earthquake Early Warning System.
Building on this success of the2019 launch, in 2020 Gov. Newsom announced a partnership with Google to incorporate California’s earthquake early warning technology into all Android smartphones.
Warnings delivered through the California Earthquake Early Warning System are powered by ShakeAlert, a computerized program operated by the United States Geological Survey, or USGS, in partnership with Cal OES that analyzes data from seismic networks in California, calculates preliminary magnitudes, and then estimates which areas will feel shaking.
Seismic networks partners include the California Geological Survey, University of California, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory and California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory.
The California Earthquake Early Warning System marries a smartphone application with traditional alert and warning delivery methods such as Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA.
With the recent integration of early warning technology within the most popular smartphones in California, the system can deliver alerts to most Californians. The system uses ground motion sensors from across the state to detect earthquakes before humans can feel them.
Under the state’s leadership, 50% more sensors have been installed since the program launched making the system more accurate and able to deliver alerts faster.
How to receive alerts
To receive earthquake warnings, there are three ways for individuals and families to get alerts through the Earthquake Warning California system.
MyShake App: Free smartphone app that provides iPhone users with audio and visual warnings, available in both English and Spanish.
Smartphones: The majority of smartphones with updated operating systems are automatically subscribed to earthquake early warning which uses the same technology as the MyShake App; and
Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEAs: No-cost text messages for emergency situations sent through the nation-wide system providing lifesaving information for the State of California
To learn more about earthquake preparedness and download the earthquake early warning application, visit: www.earthquake.ca.gov.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived at the San Diego Zoo earlier this summer and are the first giant pandas to enter the U.S. in 21 years.
The San Diego Zoo will celebrate the opening of Panda Ridge to visitors on Thursday.
The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:
PROCLAMATION
The bear has long held pride of place in California as a symbol of our state’s spirit and strength, from our state flag and seal to its enduring significance for Native American tribes across the state. This week, California is proud to celebrate another iconic bear as a pair of giant pandas make their public debut at the San Diego Zoo.
Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are the first giant pandas to enter the U.S. in more than two decades. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance was the first organization in the country to establish a cooperative panda conservation program, and their innovative conservation science has advanced efforts to protect and care for giant pandas around the world. A testament to their success, five-year-old Yun Chuan is the son of Zhen Zhen, a female panda born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007.
This conservation collaboration is part of California and China’s long history of working together towards shared goals. Building on our strong foundation of partnership and deep cultural and economic ties, I traveled to China last year to advance priority issues including climate action and economic development. We hope that the newly arrived panda “envoys of friendship” will lead to further exchanges and cooperation between California and China.
Giant pandas are beloved around the world and their conservation story is an inspiring example of strong partnerships and innovative strategies to protect the world’s natural heritage. As the San Diego Zoo welcomes visitors to Panda Ridge this week, I encourage Californians to take this unique opportunity to appreciate one of the most iconic wildlife species and recognize the important partnerships at work to help them thrive for generations to come.
NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim August 8, 2024, as “California Panda Day.”
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 7th day of August 2024.
GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State