Citizens should come first Publish grand jury reports

Published by The Reporter
Posted: 07/02/2009 01:01:18 AM PDT

Given the drastic budget cuts being made by Solano County Supervisors right now, it may seem petty to complain about Tuesday's decision to stop printing grand jury reports. But it is precisely because the amount of money being saved is so petty -- $12,000 -- that this decision should be reconsidered.

This isn't the first time supervisors have tried to kill off the printed version of the grand jury report. But past arguments came when the county was flush, which made the accusations of former grand jurors and citizen watchdogs -- that the county was merely trying to hide potentially embarrassing criticism -- credible.

This time, the county is trying to slash $136 million from its previous budget, so the need to cut all expenses provides better camouflage.

Yet, one wonders: Why is it OK to spend $50,000 on the county's State Fair exhibit if Solano can't afford $12,000 to keep its own citizens informed about the workings of government?

Yes, the grand jury reports are available online. And, no, the county has no legal obligation to print them. But Solano has a long track record of publishing the reports and distributing them via the county's newspapers, which still reach half of the households in the county.

And just to be clear, the objection here has nothing to do with newspapers losing revenue. The bulk of the money the county spends on this report covers the cost of printing -- ink, paper, etc. Distribution fees are minuscule -- less than $1,000 for
The Reporter.

In 2007, the county published 78,000 reports. At a cost of $12,000, that comes to 15 cents per issue. Good government doesn't get much cheaper than that.

But forget about citizen convenience. This is a pound-foolish decision for the public agencies subject to grand jury investigations.

Back in 2006, supervisors changed the printed reports, holding off on publication until the agencies had a chance to respond. It took a little longer, but in the end, citizens were better served by being able to see both the grand jury findings and the agency answers.

It also served agencies well. They now had a chance to put out their side of the story. That won't automatically happen online, since citizens will have to keep checking the Web site to see if responses have shown up.

The grand jury's findings will still make it into newspapers -- as news. But unless agencies are prepared to respond on the day those findings are made public -- and most aren't -- the story will remain mostly one-sided.

That $12,000 publication has been an effective public relations tool for the public agencies and Solano's citizens. Unfortunately, Solano's supervisors appear to care more about public relations with total strangers at the State Fair.


http://www.thereporter.com/opinion/ci_12739465