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As it was the end of the day, I had an appointment with the judge in his office. I had never been to a judge’s office before, so I was pleased to find it to be an unintimidating, ordinary office. She asked me why I wanted to serve on a civil grand jury, and then we had a friendly chat and a handshake.
A few days later, I was sitting in her courtroom with 30 other grand jury applicants. Her clerk began drawing her name from the hopper. After 25 names were called, the judge swore us under oath as members and deputies of Contra Her Costa County Civil Grand Jury and directed us to report the next day to begin two weeks of training. Similar ceremonies were held in every county in California.
It was the beginning of the most meaningful, productive, and personally fulfilling adventure of my life.
The following year, 19 jurors met with the committee in full three days a week. Occasionally, someone resigned and was replaced by a substitute from the original group.
We explored nearly every aspect of local government, including county departments, local city councils, and special districts responsible for providing a range of public services, from schools to fire protection, hospitals, water departments, and transportation. spent time.
When I saw something that I didn’t do right or that I thought could be done more efficiently or effectively, I researched it. Researched documents, arranged site visits and interviewed service her providers and recipients. We also produced a report detailing our findings and recommending corrective actions.
That year our jurors wrote eight reports containing 42 specific recommendations. Not all recommendations were followed. But some were. In those cases, local government has improved.
There are three things that make the civil grand jury job unique:
• Grand juries are overseen by superior courts, but juries make all of their own rules within criminal law. No one tells you what to do or how to do it.
• Grand jury work is strictly confidential by law. Grand juries speak only through official reports. No one knows what the jury is investigating until the report is released.
• Agencies receiving recommendations must respond in writing. If you do not follow our recommendations, you should explain why.
It’s nice to help local governments improve their work, but what really made my time on the grand jury so special was the opportunity to work closely with my fellow jurors.
We started out as complete strangers from diverse backgrounds with little in common. We quickly became colleagues and sometimes friends when faced with difficult tasks and tight deadlines. We worked collaboratively and shared personal skills such as financial acumen, writing ability, and computer knowledge. And I’ve come to respect and cherish perspectives that I might not otherwise have had access to.
It was hard but rewarding and a lot of fun. We invented a little ritual to make our days more comfortable. Together we planned evenings and weekend social events that continue to this day.
If you are an adult U.S. citizen, you can apply to a grand jury in your county of residence. Her 2023-24 grand jury applications are now open in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. For information and applications, please check the following websites:
• Alameda County — grandjury.acgov.org/join-us.page
• Contra Costa County — cc-courts.org/jury/grandjury.aspx
As for me, how much did you love being on the grand jury? When my year ended, I signed up for my second year.
Anne Granlund served on the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury in 2018-19 and served as jury president in 2019-20. She is president of the Contra Costa Grand Jury Association.
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