New group of 19 members starts the 2015-16 session of the Civil Grand Jury which investigates local government agencies
Underneath the Santa Barbara County Courthouse’s historic
archways, a small script sign points the way to the grand jury’s chambers.
It’s easy to miss, with the activity of the
Sunken Gardens just beyond and the hustle and bustle of the Superior Court
directly across the corridor.
The script points to a set of heavy oak
doors. Inside, a dim hallway is lit up by a glowing white sign that marks
another entrance.
“Quiet: Grand Jury in Session” the sign
commands, and a peephole sits squarely in the door beneath, allowing those
inside to peer out into the hallway unseen, and a bell must be rung to be let
inside.
The fascinating secrecy of the Santa Barbara
County Grand Jury’s proceedings was unveiled just a bit when that doorway was opened
to a few reporters to show how the oversight body works as it starts
the 2015-2016 session.
The application process is open for those
interested in serving next year, and a media open house was held in order to
educate the public. About 10 members of the jury met around a table
inside the jury offices.
Grand Jury Foreperson Maria Millsaps is the
only one who is authorized to speak publicly on behalf of the jury.
Millsaps said that the concept of the Grand
Jury can be traced all the way back to 11th century England, and functions as
an instrument of the court, with civil and criminal divisions.
The open house was hosted by the 19-member
civil grand jury, which serves a crucial watchdog function, looking into the
efficiency and prudence of local governments including that of the county,
cities, and special districts.
Evaluating the condition of the County Jail,
inspecting detention centers, auditing county spending, and looking into
willful misconduct of public officials or employees are all part of the civil
grand jury’s duties.
The jury is a diverse group of volunteers
that includes citizens from the five supervisorial districts, with many of the
jurors driving from North County for their duties.
Most of the civil grand jury’s work is
conducted in the South County, with the remainder spent at
the Solvang courthouse. About one day a month is spent on the
road conducting site visits.
About 20 to 30 hours per week are required to
serve, for which jurors are paid about $25 a day plus a reimbursement for
mileage.
Because of the significant time commitment,
most of those sitting on this session are retired and said that they felt
serving on the jury was a good way to serve their community.
Millsaps is a retired
corrections officer and veteran and said she didn’t want her skills to go
to waste after she retired, and others agreed.
Only two states — California and Nevada —
have civil grand juries. California’s state constitution calls for them,
and each of the state’s 58 counties has one.
Grand Jury Foreperson Maria Millsaps stands
outside the jury hearing room. Reporters were allowed into the chambers for a
look at what the watchdog agency does behind the scenes. (Lara Cooper /
Noozhawk photo)
Reports on the grand jury’s website go back
to 1998, and about a dozen of the jury’s reports have pointed to the need for a
new jail.
It’s not unusual for the jury to return to an
item, like the need for an overhaul of the county Coroner’s Office, and a
report was released again this year after the jury has previously called for
improvements.
It’s up to the jury to report the issue,
Millsaps said.
“We hope that by exposing it, the public will
call on lawmakers to make changes.”
Progress towards change after a report is
issued can be slow, and Millsaps likened the process to peeling back the layers
of an onion.
Several jurors also brought up the report
issued this year on Guadalupe, which called on the small city to disincorporate,
which has not happened yet, though other changes have resulted.
Jurors monitor the news with interest to see
if any changes have been implemented, though the jury doesn’t have the
authority to force the changes recommended in their findings or enforce fines
or penalties.
“We are watchdogs, not attack dogs,” Millsaps
said.
One of the ways the jury finds issues to
examine is directly from the public, who can submit a confidential tip through
the jury’s website.
Jurors also admitted they are avid readers of
the news and will often submit report ideas from articles they’ve
read. Those ideas are then voted on and 12 members must decide to move
forward with an investigation.
During that process, the jury has the power
to issue subpoenas and call witnesses to the testify, during which both jurors
and witnesses are sworn to secrecy.
When someone is summoned to testify, they’re
not even allowed to tell their supervisor where they’re going, and to break the
secrecy around the process could result in a misdemeanor.
County counsel and a judge will also review
the reports before they are published to ensure that the law is being followed,
but do not edit the content of the reports.
The jury members recalled being sworn in by Santa
Barbara Superior Court Judge James Herman this year, who explicitly told the
jurors he had no power to tell them what to do.
One of the jurors drew a parallel between the
work the jury does and investigative journalism done by news outlets.
Both aim to shine a light on areas of
governance that some would rather stay hidden.
Some jurors said they were amazed to learn
just how much money county department heads are responsible for
managing. Keeping an eye on how that funding is managed is a public
trust.
“It is the taxpayers’ money,” Millsaps
said.
Nineteen jurors are impaneled by a judge each
July for a one-year session and to qualify, members of the jury must be a U.S.
Citizen, be over 18 years old, have been a Santa Barbara County resident for at
a least one year and have no felony convictions.
Candidates who apply are screened, and those
who qualify have their names put in random drawing.
As the new session begins, the jurors are
happy to stay behind the scenes, working on the public's behalf, even though it
may be hard to spot at times.
Until their next report is issued, probing
some local agency or issue, quieter signals mark their industry.
If able to locate
their discreet office, passersby are likely to spot that silently
glowing sign, a reminder that the jury, is indeed, in session.
September 16, 2015
Noozhawk
By
Lara Cooper
No comments:
Post a Comment