Calaveras County Grand Jury seeks community input

October 3, 2014

Calaveras Enterprise

Enterprise report

Have you noticed flaws in the system of a county department? Then the Calaveras County Grand Jury needs your help. It’s encouraging citizens to get acquainted with how the Grand Jury operates, and to express their complaints of county functionality to the jury for the betterment of their community.

Nineteen Calaveras County residents were chosen and sworn in back in June to comprise the 2014-2015 Grand Jury. Those jurists now look to make a difference as a watchdog for the county. Many people aren’t aware of the Grand Jury’s existence, let alone how it works to represent local citizens.

The 19 jury members serve one-year terms and don’t have any specific aptitude for the law, but they do share the concern that the county operates within the restrictions of each department’s rules and regulations. These members rely on information from citizens who have concerns as to how things work within the county. All correspondence between citizens and the Grand Jury is strictly confidential.

For a citizen to input a concern, they only need to fill out a complaint form and mail it in. Once the form is received by the jury, the complaint’s merit is debated and investigative options are explored. Filling out a complaint form anonymously is an option, but it does prevent the jury from contacting the citizen with any questions or requests regarding the complaint. Criminal activity cannot be investigated, so any information indicating broken laws is passed on to the District Attorney.

An annual report published by the jury is the culmination of citizen complaints and the follow-up accomplishments of the jury’s findings. Issues in the 2013-2014 Grand Jury report included bond funds for the San Joaquin Delta Community College District, improvement of the Mokelumne Hill Fire Protection District, and water and sewage rates of the Calaveras County Water District.

How well the Grand Jury’s process works largely depends on county citizens identifying areas of concern. For those with Internet access, a complaint form can be found and printed at calaveras.gov.us. Select “Grand Jury” from the drop-down “Departments” tab. Full instructions and details on submission can be found there. A complaint form can also be requested by writing to the Grand Jury at P.O. Box 1414, San Andreas, CA 95249.