Grand Jury

MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY EXPERIENCE 11 MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY 2018-2019 • OCTOBER 2019 e California State Constitution requires the establishment of a Civil Grand Jury in each of the state's 58 counties. Each county's Civil Grand Jury is responsible for overseeing (in a civil "watchdog" role, rather than a criminal role) all of the public agencies within that county. Marin County has more than 130 public agencies: the county itself, cities, towns, school districts, sewer districts, police and fire agencies, other special districts, and joint powers authorities (JPAs). Each Civil Grand Jury consists of 19 citizens from all walks of life who dedicate a year of their lives to studying, investigating, and im- proving their county. During the one-year term, Civil Grand Jurors issue reports detailing their findings and recommendations to which public agencies must respond. WHY PEOPLE APPLY People from all walks of life apply to the Civil Grand Jury for a multitude of reasons: ■ Since I am close to retirement I'd like to continue to be productive and to understand my community in depth. ■ I love living in Marin and am eager to use my analytic and interpersonal skills to see that the many public entities continue to function optimally for the benefit of the residents of Marin. ■ I want to be able to serve the community I live in better and build an even better future for coming generations. THE APPLICATION PROCESS (January-June) Step one: Complete the Application to Serve on the Marin County Civil Grand Jury form (available on the Civil Grand Jury's website) by April 22nd. In addition to requesting name and professional background, some confidential information is requested to perform a preliminary background check. is check is needed because jurors will be given access to detention facilities and to confidential information. ose selected as jurors will also need to: be fingerprinted, share information about financial investments (Form 700), and have a second back- ground check performed. All such information is kept confidential by the county and only released to agencies as required by law. Step two: Applicants who meet ba- sic requirements (residency, age, no conflicts of interest, etc.), are invited to interview in May. is interview is designed to ensure that there are no hidden agendas or conflicts of interest, and that applicants com- municate well. It consists of both a personal and a panel interview (an opportunity to sample the jury experience and see how well applicants interact). e best and most representative 30 applicants are then selected. Step three: In June, these "30" are invited back for the final selection round. All applicants' names are placed into a drum and randomly selected by the presiding judge. e first 19 selected will be the "sitting jury." e remainder are invited to be "alternates." e sitting jury is immediately sworn in (to start in July). If a sitting juror resigns for any reason, the next alternate is contacted and invited to join the jury immediately. HOW THE YEAR UNFOLDS (July-June) e first week begins with a multi-day training for both the sitting jury and the alternates. In addition to learning about respon- sibilities and powers, committees and investigation techniques, jurors start to get to know their fellow ju- rors — each of whom has a lifetime of expertise to share. Within a few weeks, jurors and alternates visit Marin County Juvenile Hall, Marin County Jail, and San Quentin State Prison. ese visits are required by law and make a strong impres- sion. Jurors and alternates see, talk to, and eat with people (including inmates) with whom they would not normally interact. Getting organized/a typical week Aer the training, alternates are excused. Jurors organize into investigative and administrative committees and establish a weekly calendar. Committees meet weekly in two-hour time slots on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and on ursday mornings. e entire Grand Jury meets once a week in plenary ses- sion. is is usually on ursdays from 11:00 to 2:00. Finding a topic Perhaps the most surprising thing for new jurors is that there is no assigned list of topics to investigate. Jurors may wish to follow up on a previous Civil Grand Jury report, research issues that they've heard about, or simply learn more about a local agency. By the end of the first month, committees start to explore potential topics. Is there a percep- tion of wrongdoing, inefficiency, or need for improvement? Aer inter- nal research and discussion, people are invited for interviews. e interview process Each interviewee signs an admo- nition acknowledging the obliga- tion not to reveal that they spoke THE CIVIL GRAND JURY EXPERIENCE Civil Grand Jury Experience Continued on page 12

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