LAKE COUNTY – The Grand Jury dates back centuries, but that’s all I’ll cover regarding the history. Instead I’ll focus on how to become a member of the Civil Grand Jury, its functions, responsibilities, limitations and procedure/methodology.

The Civil Grand Jury year runs from July to July. Each Grand Jury is empanelled for a period of one year. A juror can opt to return for a second year as well if he or she wishes. A Grand Jury member can serve a maximum of two consecutive years. However, any individual may return for additional years after they take a minimum of one year off.

Example: If you serve on the Grand Jury for 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 you may not serve in 2009/2010. However, you can return in 2010/2011 and serve through 2012.

One exception to this is if the jury panel consists of less than 19 members, the presiding judge can then appoint anyone he or she wishes to fill the vacant position. This situation arose in July of 2008 and the previous foreperson who had served two consecutive years was appointed for a third year. Because of the lack of applications, some alternates were also appointed who had served two consecutive years as well.

Complicating this exception further is that since the foreperson and the alternates were not “carry-overs” they are all eligible to return for another year. I hope that sufficiently explains that rule, two years on-one year off.

To become a member of the Civil Grand Jury you need to meet the following mandated requirements:

1. Be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older, who has resided in the State and County for a minimum of one year immediately before being selected;

2. Be in possession of natural faculties, of ordinary intelligence, sound judgment, and fair character;

3. Possess sufficient knowledge of the English language.

You may not become a member of the Grand Jury if any of the following apply:

1. You are serving as a trial juror in any court in the state;

2. You have been discharged by any grand jury in the state within one year;

3. You have been convicted of malfeasance in office or any felony or other high crime;

4. You are serving as an elected public officer.

In addition to the mandated requirements it is critical that a potential applicant also be able to meet these additional qualifications so that they may adequately perform the duties of a Grand Juror:

1. Have the available time to commit to the Grand Jury. In recent years the Lake County Grand Jury has achieved an incredible amount in a one-year time period. It is therefore highly beneficial that any applicant be available for a minimum of 15 hours a week, preferably 20 hours.

2. BE HONEST! If you have a grudge against a particular department or individual in county operations, be honest about it! Joining the Grand Jury with ulterior motives creates nothing but problems and it will come to light at some point. When it does chances are you will be dismissed from duty by the presiding judge. When a juror is dismissed an alternate is selected and brought in requiring additional training time. Therefore, if you know you have a personal issue with a County Department I highly recommend that you don’t apply. The ability to be open-minded and fair is paramount to the success of the Grand Jury.

3. Be open-minded and willing to work with others. Simply put, you must be willing to listen to the viewpoints of others and discuss things rationally. The jury consists of 19 people, that’s 19 different points-of-view and 19 opinions. Individually, no one opinion is more important than another. In the end, it will be the consensus of all opinions that will create the final report.

An applicant should also have an interest in the community. With any position or anything in life you get back what you put in. The Grand Jury is an incredible way to learn about the functions of all agencies and governmental positions as well as a way to give something to the community.

When I was initially asked why I wanted to be on the Civil Grand Jury, my answer was simple. “Far too often I hear people complaining about the ‘system,’ making grandiose claims that everyone is ‘crooked‘ or corrupt. To me, unless you are willing to take steps to improve your community you have no right to complain about it.”

Since then, however, I have learned that some people don’t know how to go about getting involved or they just don’t have the time. So, as a member of the jury and a foreperson I have gone to great lengths to hear the concerns of citizens and to take the time to do whatever I could to assist. My personal feeling is there are many other people in the County who would relish and thrive on the opportunity to help and the Grand Jury is certainly a great way to do just that.

In addition to community interest, it would be beneficial for a potential juror to possess any of the following skills or traits: investigative techniques, report writing skills, a general knowledge of the functions of one or more county agencies, or an understanding of the responsibilities of county and city governments and other civil entities. None of these skills are mandatory, but they ultimately play a role in the operations of the Civil Grand Jury.

How do you become a member of the Grand Jury? Applications may be obtained by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Grand Jury Coordinator at 255 N. Forbes, Fourth Floor, Lakeport, CA. 95453. Applications are also available at each Superior Court Clerk’s Office located at 255 N. Forbes or at the South County Court located at 7000-A South Center Drive.

For additional information contact the Grand Jury Coordinator at 263-2282. Applications must be turned in by May 30. Once you have applied, your application will be screened and an interview will be scheduled.

If selected, you’ll appear in court on the designated day in July at which time names will be randomly selected. Of the 30-member jury pool, 19 will be empanelled and 11 people will become alternates.

If you are chosen as an alternate, do not be disheartened. Since the Grand Jury is comprised of volunteers, things happen ranging from health issues to external obligations. A year going by without alternates being empanelled at some point would be as rare as a full lunar eclipse.

Once you have been selected and sworn-in you will be given training the day of and the day following your selection and then the full jury will hold its first meeting, typically held on Friday morning. Since the annual obligations are numerous, it is important that new juries “hit the ground running” as much as possible. At the first meeting the following positions are established, foreperson pro tempore (pro temp), secretary, sergeant-at-arms and committee chairs. In addition, each juror will be assigned to a minimum of one committee.

The foreperson pro tempore is basically the second in command. If the foreperson cannot attend a meeting, the pro temp acts in the foreperson’s place. The secretary is responsible for taking the minutes of each weekly meeting and other tasks assigned based on the foreperson’s preference. The sergeant-at-arms is responsible for the issuance of keys to the jury room, attendance records for weekly meetings, assuring the meetings do not get out of hand and collecting the keys at the end of the jury year.

The Lake County Grand Jury consists of six committees, excluding ad-hoc committees and the edit and review committee. The committees are: Budget and Finance, Government Services, Health and Social Services, Planning and Public Works, Public Services and Public Safety. Each committee has distinct areas of responsibility and each consist of a various number of jurors.

The Budget and Finance Committee is pretty self-explanatory. This committee has oversight responsibility over all agencies in the county that deal with county finance including, but not limited to, County Administrator’s Office, Treasurer-Tax Collector, Auditor/Controller, and Assessor. In addition to these responsibilities, this committee can be given primary responsibility over the budgets/finances of other agencies overseen by another committee.

For example, the Government Services Committee may look into the day-to-day operations of a city government while the Budget and Finance Committee reviews the city’s budget. To be a member of this committee mathematical ability is a must and experience in finance is of great benefit. This is the one committee that requires some expertise. It is nearly impossible to learn as you go if you need to review hundreds of pages of financial documents.

The Government Services Committee has oversight responsibility over a number of agencies including city councils, board of supervisors, registrar of voters, information technology department, district attorney’s office and human resources. As titled, the committee’s primary concerns are agencies that are directly involved with governmental policy and procedure. Traits that are beneficial for members of this committee include a working knowledge of government or a desire to learn the aspects of the local governmental process.

The Health and Social Services Committee is a unique committee. While oversights for other committees may be a process of just a few visits/follow-ups some of this committee’s oversights can last the entire jury year. Its areas of responsibility include, Department of Social Services, Health Care Districts and Jail Medical. As you can imagine the world of Social Services is a complex one and a diverse one. It encompasses ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act), Adult Protective Services (APS), Child Protective Services (CPS) and more. Just gaining an understanding of these departments takes months and therefore the oversight process is lengthy and time consuming. To be a member of this committee it is important that you possess an interest in the public health. In addition, an open mind is absolutely imperative. Complaints involving the agencies within this committee’s realm of responsibility can be emotional so you must possess the willingness and patience to hear both sides.

The Planning and Public Works Committee is responsible for overseeing and investigating complaints in departments including, Planning, Code Enforcement, Special Districts, Air Quality, Lakebed Management, Central Garage and Weights and Measures. Within these agencies are numerous smaller departments. Anyone who has knowledge of or and interest in, development, planning, water and sewer, or any are of public works would be ideal for this committee.

The Public Services Committee is one that is extremely diverse. It covers a vast array of areas including transportation, museums, libraries, animal control, resource conservation and cemetery districts. This committee has perhaps the broadest scope and offers the widest range of complaint investigation/oversight possibilities of any committee. Basically, there is something for everyone in this committee so it would be interesting to all new jurors.

The Public Safety Committee is another that is pretty self-explanatory. This committee’s responsibilities include any agency that provides a service of protection to the county’s citizens such as police departments and fire departments. An interesting aspect of this committee is that it has mandatory responsibilities rather than elective. It is mandatory for all holding facilities to be inspected by the Civil Grand Jury annually. In Lake County that includes two court holding facilities, Hill Road Correctional Facility, Juvenile Hall and Konocti Conservation Camp. Anyone who has an interest in the operations of law enforcement or rescue agencies is a perfect fit for this committee.

As you can see from the committee information the Civil Grand Jury’s responsibilities are enormous and to encompass the agencies listed above and more is a time consuming process. It takes someone who truly cares about the community and has a desire to learn more about the processes involved to be a successful Grand Juror.

Being a Grand Juror is a volunteer position. Grand Jurors are paid a per-diem amount and a mileage reimbursement every month. Currently, Lake County Grand Jurors receive $15 Per-Diem (Per Day) and $.39 a mile. One area of confusion that tends to arise is the difference between “per-diem” and per meeting. If you have three meetings in one day, you receive $15 for that day. If you have one meeting in a day you receive $15 for that day. Obviously, it is not the place to go if you are trying to supplement your income.

It is the responsibility of the committee chairs to establish what oversights his or her committee will perform during the course of the year. Typically, the respective committee chairs will meet with committee members and gather information on what everyone would like to accomplish, then an initial oversight list is established. Once an initial oversight list is completed, the chair will prioritize them and a copy of the list is provided to the foreperson. This list is not written in stone, circumstances will always arise during the course of the year that will prompt a committee to look deeper into certain events. The chair or committee members contact the relevant departments and arrange the oversights.

When a complaint is received, the secretary and/or the foreperson initially reviews it. It is then presented to the entire jury for discussion and a vote to either accept or reject. Once a complaint is accepted it is assigned to the appropriate committee(s) for investigation. Complaints are accepted based on numerous characteristics. Validity and specific details are two very important complaint characteristics. All oversights and complaints are approved by the entire jury by quorum or a minimum of 12 votes in favor. Complaint investigations and oversights are done in a variety of ways.

Once the committee has completed their oversight or complaint investigation they write a final report and review it in committee. When they are satisfied that it contains all of the relevant and accurate information they submit it to the secretary. The secretary then arranges for the report to be reviewed by the edit and review committee with the committee chair present to answer any questions that may arise regarding informational content. When it has been through edit and review, it is presented to the entire jury for approval.

Once the report has been approved by the entire jury it is submitted to the county counsel for review. County Counsel returns it to the jury with any suggested changes or input and the jury reviews it once more. If the change is significant, the report is redone and returned to County Counsel’s Office a second time. If not, it is submitted to the Presiding Judge for review and approval. Once the judge has approved the report, it is finalized and ready for the year-end report. The Grand Jury’s Final Report is released annually, in July. Having flashbacks of learning how a bill becomes a law yet?

The last thing I want to mention about the Lake County Civil Grand Jury is that it is a wonderful way to meet new friends and establish strong bonds. I have forged great bonds with some wonderful people during my tenure on the Grand Jury. If you have the time and the drive to work with others to help the County, I suggest you apply today!

If you have additional questions about how to become a grand juror, feel free to call the jury room at 279-8619.