Guest Commentary - The benefits and rewards of serving on the Santa Cruz County grand jury

I had the honor of serving on the Santa Cruz County civil grand jury for the past two years; for the 2020-21 session, I was the grand jury foreperson. I write to you to encourage citizens across the county to apply for a grand jury position by going to

www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Departments/GrandJury.aspx#apply. The benefits to each individual, and the community, are numerous.

First of all, it’s a great opportunity to learn about your county and city government. I hadn’t realized the broad set of responsibilities our government officials held, nor whether they were living up to their commitments.

Second, it’s an opportunity to develop new skills, for problem solving, investigation, report writing, or valuable computer skills. In this world where we increasingly rely on the internet and virtual connection and communication, this is a great environment to exercise those capabilities.

Odds are, when you join the grand jury, you meet those 18 other jury members for the first time. It’s an interesting forum where you can collaborate with diverse members of the community, who share a passion for civic duty and service, to research and report on key issues.

We jurors were glad to serve the needs of the community. We incorporated the inputs from residents on those issues, along with our own ideas, to consider how we could influence our government leaders to improve their effectiveness and efficiency.

Our influence came from the reports we published. We felt gratified when the public favorably received our reports, and when the government officials, who frequently contest our findings and recommendations, ultimately took action on our suggestions.

In the past two years, the grand jury addressed many important topics: homelessness, fire risk and response, law enforcement, public health and safety, education, and more. We did our part to hold our government accountable to the people.

I truly appreciate what a meaningful way this was to meet people from around the county, enjoy their company and camaraderie, and work together and socialize, even well after our term of service ended. It’s nice to be able to say that while we worked hard, we had some fun too. The rewards aren’t financial (that’s an understatement!) but they are considerable.

I urge those who care about Santa Cruz County to make a difference and apply to join the grand jury. It’s an enriching and rewarding experience.

SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL
By Rich Goldberg
February 17, 2022

Rich Goldberg was the Foreperson of the 2020-21 Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury.