Applications must be received by June 28.
From wildfire prevention and the aftermath of emergencies to absenteeism in public schools to economic development, there is no shortage of issues facing Lake County today. Civic participation in coming up with solutions today will impact our county for years to come and will influence the lives of future generations.
In recent months there have also been renewed efforts toward marketing the county to tourists, strengthening retail and business influences and offerings through tourism, and improving infrastructure and broadband connectivity, among a myriad of other long-term goals.
The Lake County Superior Court is seeking residents willing to serve as jurors and alternates on the 2019-2020 Lake County Civil Grand Jury. We can think of no more important responsibility than serving as the public’s “watchdog” by investigating and reporting upon the affairs of our local government. We urge residents to consider serving on the 19-person grand jury which plays such a vital role in responding to citizens’ complaints, researching issues of importance to every Lake County resident and investigating the operations of and allegations of wrongdoing by public officials and government employees.
While some members of the board of supervisors and county administration have expressed dissatisfaction with previous grand juries and their methodologies and/or conclusions, as we have stated in the past, we believe that the grand jury report is a useful independent assessment of important topics such as public services and emergency operations.
The term of service runs from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020 and may require jury members to commit to 10 to 20 hours of work per week, which would consist of attending various committee and general meetings, and working to create a final comprehensive report to be presented to our elected and appointed officials that would highlight topics of public concern and propose solutions to those subjects.
Last year for example, the grand jury’s report focused on poor student attendance and what that costs Lake County public schools. This resulted in strong recommendations from educators to improve attendance, with the grand jury recommending that superintendents of the public school districts be required to regularly publish school attendance figures, including the value of lost revenue due to absenteeism.
The previous year’s grand jury report found that the board of supervisors and the county’s water resources department had neglected to try to collect a $55,900 debt owed to the county for over five years which was tied to a 2010 incident in which a crane fell off a barge into Clear Lake during stormy conditions.
Most recently, the 2018-2019 Lake County Civil Grand Jury issued an interim report detailing important concerns regarding Lampson Field Airport—located within the unincorporated Lake County area off Highland Springs Road, near Highway 29 between Kelseyville and Lakeport. The members of the civil grand jury toured the airport facilities and began an inquiry into Lampson Field Airport’s operations in order to enhance the public’s knowledge of its vital importance to and financial impact on the county. They concluded that airport management has experienced resistance from the county in its efforts to upgrade the facility, and that therefore progress has been slow in coming. The grand jury also found that Lampson Field’s master plan is now six years overdue for an update (it was last updated in 1993), and argued that the board of supervisors should work more closely with the management staff of the public works department to promote the much-needed repairs and upgrades of the facility.
To serve on the civil grand jury, one must be a U.S. citizen aged 18 or older who speaks English, is a resident of California and has lived in Lake County for at least one year prior to selection. Applicants cannot currently hold an elected office or have any felony convictions. Applications may be obtained by visiting www.lakecourts.ca.gov or by mailing a letter with a self-stamped envelope addressed to the Grand Jury Coordinator at 255 N. Forbes 4th Floor, Lakeport, CA 95453. Further information may be obtained by calling the Grand Jury Coordinator at 263-2374. ext. 2282. Applications must be received by June 28.
It is easy to complain about the problems facing our county. Here’s an opportunity for residents to partake in the solutions. We urge qualified residents to apply.
June 10, 2019
Lake County Record-Bee
By the Editorial Board
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