Critics say there isn't enough diversity on the Tulare County grand jury

BY VALERIE GIBBONS • vgibbons@visalia.gannett.com • July 4, 2009

Officials with the Tulare County Superior Court said they sent out 80 letters seeking nominations for the next grand jury.

But as the new panel was chosen this week, it was still dominated by volunteers who are white, older, male and from Visalia.

There are four women on the grand jury, and 15 of the 19 who are serving are older than 60. Eight members are older than 70.

More than half of the panel nine members come from the city of Visalia.

Only four Latinos serve on the new jury, which already has raised the ire of community groups.

The grand jury has been under fire from the League of United Latin American Citizens, which claims the panel doesn't represent the demographics of the county.

"I wish the courts would have done more outreach," LULAC President Ruben Macareno said.

The group was particularly upset that two jurors beginning another term were also active participants with the Volunteers In Patrol program with the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.

Jacki Fletcher and Charles Webber served on the 2008-09 grand jury. They were also chosen to continue on the 2009-10 panel.

Macareno said their volunteer work with the sheriff's office presented a conflict with the jury's charge.

"I believe the courts could have been more proactive in ensuring all segments of the county are represented as stipulated in the California Rules of Court," he said. "This isn't something that I or LULAC want, it's what state laws call for and what the state judicial standards highly encourage."

But court officials say they have worked with local groups to provide more diversity.

The court recruited new members of the county's Grand Jury at Rotary meetings, Elks Lodge, Lions Club, Kiwanis, the Asian American coalition, the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Roundtable and LULAC, Tulare County Superior Court Judge Melinda Reed said. Those 80 letters netted 46 applications.

"This year the court elected to interview every candidate," she said, "There were a few who withdrew prior to the interview and 14 who voluntarily withdrew after the interview."

The field was narrowed to 26 candidates, and the final panel of 19 was chosen by a random drawing.

Thirteen members of last year's grand jury reapplied, but Reed only chose four people to continue this year, including the youngest member of the panel.

"The court believes it is very important to provide new people the opportunity to serve," she said.

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20090704/NEWS01/907040307/1002