The retail crime crackdown across California is moving at a record pace. The latest update shows 717 arrests have been made since January. A CHP task force also recovered nearly 230-thousand stolen goods valued at almost seven-million dollars. This year’s enforcement is the most aggressive. Governor Newsom says it’s all about taking down criminal enterprises and securing justice for the businesses and communities hurt by these crimes.
In mid-August, Sonoma County’s park rangers will lose their peace officer status and will be reclassified as public officers. That comes after a unanimous vote by the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The vote also creates a new Sheriff’s Office parks unit to take on the extra law enforcement responsibilities at Sonoma County’s 55 regional parks. Two unions that represent park rangers strongly fought against the changes, saying the move puts the safety of park rangers, other park employees and visitors at risk.
The owner of the Agave Mexican Restaurant in Healdsburg must pay nearly 83 thousand dollars in back wages. After an investigation, the U.S. Department of Labor found restaurant owner and chef Octavio Diaz failed to pay three employees more than 35 thousand dollars in overtime. Diaz must also pay more than eleven thousand dollars in civil penalties for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. Agave, one of several food businesses owned by Diaz and his brother Pedro, has been open for the past 14 years.
Matt Ryan is the new chief of Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. That also makes him the new chief of the Napa County Fire Department and South Lake County Fire Protection District. The Cal Fire Unit in the North Bay spans six counties. Ryan was raised in Sonoma Valley and graduated from Sonoma High School. Ryan will be taking over for Mike Marcucci, who retired from Cal Fire last month. Marcucci is now a Marin County Fire division chief and the director of the Marin Emergency Command Center.
Elon Musk is looking to relocate two of his companies from California to Texas. He’s pointing to a new California law that bans schools from telling parents if their child starts using different pronouns in class. Musk posted on X that he warned Governor Gavin Newsom that laws like this would force families and companies to leave the Golden State, in his words, “to protect their children.” Musk said Tuesday that he would move both X, his social media platform, and SpaceX as a result of the first-in-the nation law.
The Mina fire in Mendocino County remains at 97% contained. The fire that started July 8th has burned a total of 98 acres. Crews continue to mop-up and establish full containment. The fire burned down two structures along Mina Road northwest of Covelo. Officials have confirmed one person has been killed by the fire.
A Clearlake woman has been charged with first-degree murder. Police arrested Dominique Molina-Dominguez on July 10th after responding to the scene of a shooting that she reported. Molina-Dominguez is charged with the murder of DeAndre Grinner, who lived in the same house on 16th Street in Clearlake. Police have not confirmed what kind of relationship the two had. According to a news release, in addition to the murder charge, Molina-Dominguez also faces three special allegations. Court records show one of the special allegations is that she may have been lying in wait for the victim. Lying in wait is one of the special circumstances that could qualify her for the death penalty, if convicted. Molina-Dominguez remains in jail on a million dollar bond.
The victims of two crashes in Lake County last week have been identified. According to a news release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Roy Hunter of Cobb died July 10th when his vehicle crashed on Bottle Rock just north of Spring Hill Road. Police said Hunter was speeding when his vehicle went off the road and overturned before hitting a tree. The next night, 5 juveniles crashed an off-road vehicle on private property in Lower Lake. Four of the teenagers were injured and taken to local hospitals. According to the CHP, Rodriguez Vega from Lawton, Michigan, was pronounced dead at the scene. The California Highway Patrol said they do not believe alcohol or drugs was a factor in either crash.
