(Nevada County) Grand Jury reports: it’s not who, but how

August 5, 2014

The Union of Grass Valley

Letter-to-the-Editor

I have read with amusement all the verbiage about the grand jury reports. Most responders seem to be defending the “who” caused these perceived problems.

Increasingly they say, “It’s not my problem.” “I am not required to do that,” “Who complained?”, “Who did they (the grand jury) interview?”, “If they didn’t interview me, their conclusions are wrong.”

I for one do not care about the “who” caused the problem, or “who” is going to fix it. I would like to see these responders focus instead on the “what” and “how” are we to fix it. Is there really a problem, and if so, what are we going to do to fix it? How are we going to fix it and then, and only then, look at why it was allowed to occur?

Are there processes in place to prevent it from happening again? If the existing processes are adequate, why did the process fail? If the process is flawed, then fix it. Quit trying to avoid the blame. It’s not the who, but what and how that the public demands.

Let’s get the job done and quit playing dodge the blame.

Patricia Baldwin, Grass Valley