Grand jury reaches out to young, Latinos

The Sonoma County Grand Jury is embarking on a recruitment campaign to draw more Latinos and younger people to the jury.

"Basically, grand jurors are older, gray-haired people who are white, and they really do not reflect accurately the population of Sonoma County," said current jury foreman Richard Klein of Santa Rosa. "There are significant issues in Sonoma County that have to do with Hispanics and Latinos and things that have interest to younger people, and we just don't have those (jurors)."

The jury examined its own makeup in an investigation and has begun reaching out to community groups of active young people and Latinos.

The group is also on a quest to generate more applicants from all county residents. The goal is to receive 80 applications, but only 30 have been submitted to date, and the deadline is April 19.

"Last year, we had so few applicants to the grand jury that we ran the risk of not having a complete jury," Klein said. "It's an untenable situation."

Jurors are typically required to meet twice a week for meetings and conduct individual research. The hourly commitment can range from approximately 11 hours a week to sometimes 20 if a particular case merits the extra time, jurors said.

"In the middle of an investigation, you probably have 16 to 20 hours, but that is not week to week to week," said juror Melissa Jones, who spearheaded the report.

Jones, who is CEO of an online company, said joining the grand jury has been a good way to learn the ins and outs of how government agencies work in Sonoma County since she moved here from the Bay Area two years ago.

The jury can identify issues or agencies to investigate or respond to questions from the public about how county, city or other municipal operations work.

"Often we are the venue of last resort. When they cannot get redress any other way, they can send their complaint to the grand jury," Klein said.

Last year, the grand jury criticized the Sonoma City Council for creating a conflict of interest when it canceled a Nov. 4 municipal election.

While not illegal, the decision by the council was "cavalier" and contributed to growing fear and concern in America regarding the "efficacy and validity of the political process," the grand jury report said.

"What is hard to explain to people is that it is fantastically rewarding," Klein said. "Looking into an issue that has importance to your whole community, there is value in that that is hard to explain and describe."

Jurors are paid $15 per weekly general meeting and $12.50 for weekly committee meetings. They also are repaid mileage at a rate of 54 cents per mile.

"It's a matter of having the ability and wanting to give back to the community -- that has got to be the motivation. The financial won't do it," he said.

All applications must be submitted by April 19.

For information, go to www.sonomasuperiorcourt.com and click on the "Grand Jury" tab.

Staff Writer Kerry Benefield writes an education blog at extracredit.pressdemocrat.com. She can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090407/NEWS/904071005/1033?Title=Grand-jury-reaches-out-to-young-Latinos