San Joaquin grand jury report finds agencies largely in step

By Zachary K. Johnson, Record Staff Writer -

The San Joaquin County 2012-13 grand jury released a report Thursday finding that local government agencies, for the most part, complied with 36 recommendations laid out in investigations from last year's watchdog panel.

Each year, a civil grand jury issues dozens of recommendations and findings after investigating local government agencies in San Joaquin County. The law requires the agencies to respond to the reports from the grand jury, reconvened each year from a new batch of citizens.

Last year, the 2011-12 grand jury reports included 37 findings and 36 recommendations.

This kind of report follow-up on previous findings and recommendations holds government accountable to make changes often called for in grand jury investigations, said Gary Spaugh, foreman of this year's grand jury.

"Almost all of the recommendations are respected and implemented," said Spaugh, adding it showed the effectiveness of the process overseeing the public agencies.

The only agency that did not comply with all the recommendations was the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, which did not provide documentation that all of the district's board members had completed training in ethics and the state law for providing transparency in government meetings.

The district received a scathing report last year that it had been "thrust to the brink of failure" by its leadership. This year's report verified steps taken to improve its finances and acknowledged changes in leadership.

"Everything is pretty much under control now," said Joe Valente, president of the district's governing board. He also said the remaining two directors had completed the training recommended by the grand jury.

Last year's grand jury also reported that social workers at Child Welfare Services were holding high caseloads that put children at risk; found fault with training of Stockton Unified police; found a relative of an employee at the San Joaquin Housing Authority received special treatment receiving subsidized-housing vouchers; and reported on other investigations into the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District, the Department of Juvenile Justice and Deuel Vocational Institution.

Thursday's report wasn't the first from the grand jury this year. Last month it investigated uncollected property tax revenue.

And it won't be the last.

Spaugh said the public can expect reports soon from the new investigations the grand jury conducted over the past year.