She discusses their responsibility, investigations and membership.
- Article courtesy of
Mission Village Voice
MVV had a “grand” meet up
with Roxy Montana, the current Foreman of the San Benito County Civil Grand
Jury, who has served on the Grand Jury for six terms since 2001. Read about how
these 19 jurors represent you to protect the public interest. If you think
you’ve got what it takes to be a great grand juror, reach out to Roxy!
How many people are on the SBC Civil Grand Jury?
San Benito County must
impanel 19 jurors to begin each fiscal term – July 1 to June 30. Once
impaneled, we can lose a few due to time constraints or inability to meet at
the time the plenary group chooses, but we must maintain a quorum.
How do you find jurors?
By hosting periodic open
houses, usually on a Saturday morning 10 a.m.-1 p.m., inviting the public to
come learn and ask questions. I explain in detail what the Grand Jury is, what
it does and what it does not do, and offer reading materials. Jurors may be
returnees who have served on an earlier term of the Civil Grand Jury. We have
had several spouses join together. Because of the high level of
confidentiality, jurors absolutely may not discuss the business of the grand
jury with non-members.
What are the careers and the lifestyles of the current Civil Grand Jury?
A broad spectrum of
careers is represented from MD, PhD, executives, business, firefighting, law
enforcement, ranching, mental health/nonprofits, education, technology, human
resources and legal fields. Retirees and non-commuters are often most available
to devote the time needed for a successful experience. The time commitment
makes it demanding for students.
You have committees?
We have five working
committees and also ad hoc committees specific to issues. Each has a
chairperson and four or five jurors with a focus at separately scheduled
meetings. Any juror may attend any meeting of any committee at any time.
We have the Law and
Justice Committee, the Health, Education, and Welfare Committee, the City
Committee which includes Hollister and San Juan Bautista, a County Committee,
and a Special Districts Committee, which includes water districts, airports,
etc.
Anyone can review your findings and recommendations?
Yes, I enthusiastically
invite the public to visit archived grand jury reports and responses at:
https://www.sanbenito.courts.ca.gov/general-information/jury-service/grand-jury
What does “look into” mean?
Penal codes instruct grand
juries to at least “look into” issues of the “local prisons or jails.” The San
Benito County Civil Grand Jury does an annual inspection of our county jail and
often inspects the juvenile hall facility.
We may go to locations to
individually interview multiple employees of a department or to inspect safety
issues. It might be because their department is cramped and may need more
space, or it could be that they’ve just moved into a new facility.
Do you respond to complaints?
Yes, we do! Any citizen or
local public employee can print a complaint form available in English and
Spanish found on the Superior Court website. It’s a highly confidential process
and completed forms must be mailed to our private post office box, to which
only we have the key. The complaints don’t go through the court. If it involves
criminal activity, we then refer those to the District Attorney’s office. All complaints are opened and read at the
plenary meetings, and the grand jury decides if they fall into our
jurisdiction. This is done by a super-majority vote with considerations to time
and scope. If voted to go ahead with an investigation, an individual committee
may look into them procedurally by scheduling appointments with the complainant
and the department(s) involved.
Investigations are complaint driven as well as self-initiated?
If it’s self-initiated, it
means that it may be time to do a review on a department that hasn’t been
visited in a while or if there’s a rumble of curiosity with the public.
Anybody, including jurors and elected officials, can go on to social media and
read about what the public complains about. What generates general public
interest may influence the grand jury to seek answers on their behalf.
Who do you report to as a Grand Jury?
The grand jury stands for
the “We, THE People” of the community who pay taxes to fund and support the
officials and departments of the city and county. We want our findings and
recommendations to ultimately reach the public who we stand to serve, for they are
the voters who decide to keep or lose those officials who manage the county,
cities, school boards and the staff therein. Our annual Consolidated Final
Report goes to the Board of Supervisors and other department heads that we
interview, inspect, and investigate. We must have findings and also co-relating
recommendations for each report in order to promote good government for all.
What happens if you don’t get 19 jurors?
The county doesn’t get a
Grand Jury.
What happens when you don’t get a Grand Jury?
My associates at the
California Grand Juror’s Association tell me there are counties who have had no
Grand Jury for the past year or two, especially since Covid. They struggle to
get back a foothold of interested and resolute jurors. This has even happened
in our county in the past.
So, you’re never really in a courtroom?
We avoid courtrooms
(laughing) and people who have been processed as criminals through them!
We are looking for people
who are open-minded to learning about the operations of the city and county
because if you come in pre-conceived, you’d be surprised.
That must be hard to find?
It can be. However, I
think it’s how the meetings are managed. I would also say that while we all
have our own opinions, we are adult enough to be able to put those opinions
aside and look at any issue from an open perspective. There’s respectful
discussion but no arguments or talking over others. We are civil!
How do you vet potential jurors?
The presiding judge does
the initial individual interviews, and the Foreman has everything to do with
working with and managing the jurors and guiding committees. I’ve discovered
when it’s just not a good fit, especially for someone who has a personal agenda
or ax to grind.
And the current Grand Jury?
We’re blessed with a
socially mature team with outstanding life experiences and temperaments. With
rare exception, they are dedicated to showing up consistently with a servant’s
heart to work on behalf of the community.
Grand Jurors 2021-2022
Jae Eade
John Eade
John Ferreira
Natalya Gallion
Michelle Gutierrez,
Correspondence
Patti Knoblich-Gonzalez
Dennis Lawn
John Lemos
Bob Marden, Pro Tem
Raul Sanchez
Dr. Parveen Sharma
Laurie Serpa Sabin
Stacie McGrady, Secretary
Shiven Singh, I.T.
Roxy Montana, Foreman
Bill Healy, Treasurer
Dave Busch
Cherie Toll
To learn more “About the
Grand Jury,” visit https://www.cosb.us/departments/grand-jury/about-the-grand-jury
BenitoLink
BenitoLink Staff
March 21, 2022
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