California Grand Jurors’ Association loses leader

By  Diane Damé Shepp

 

The Napa County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association (CGJA) mourns the death of its beloved friend and leader, Bill Trautman. Bill was the current president of the CGJA, whose mission is to support, advocate for and train California’s grand jurors.

As the foreperson of the 2007-2008 Napa County Grand Jury, Bill liked to say it was the best grand jury ever (“TBGJE”) — a title still proudly remembered by those 19 Napa citizens who served on it. The jury’s final report described investigations into 13 topics, such as farmworker housing and municipal and county fire departments, and received the admiration and respect of many in the county.

A Napa Valley Register headline at the time stated, “Grand jury report takes no prisoners.” In fact, one of these reports won the 2007 CGJA’s Excellence in Reporting Award, while the Napa Valley Register won the CGJA’s 2007 Excellence in Reporting Award for its coverage of the 2007-2008 Napa County Grand Jury. Bill served for a second term as the foreperson of the 2008-2009 Napa County Grand Jury.

Believing in the CGJA mission, Bill joined the Napa County Chapter of the CGJA and became active at the state level. He put his knowledge to work as a trainer of new jurors. His battle with lung cancer notwithstanding, he visited five counties to train jurors this past summer.

He was the editor of the “Grand Jury Law Compendium” and a member of the Legal and Legislative Resources Committee. Bill was an accomplished attorney who used his acumen and leadership skills to build the statewide organization. He also led the battle against AB 622 in 2012, which would have eviscerated the grand jury system.

Bill received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree (LLB) from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). He practiced law for 42 years and provided his expertise to many legal and civic organizations over a most distinguished career.

In Napa, Bill was president of the Silverado Property Owners’ Association; former member of the Napa County General Plan Update Steering Committee; chair of the Silverado Community Services District Advisory Committee; and a member of the Napa County Groundwater Resources Advisory Committee.

He also served as past president of the Oakland Museum Association, the Boalt Hall Alumni Association, and the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco.

We are so lucky to have known this impressive man and to have joined with him to make Napa and California a better community.

The CGJA has established a special fund to honor Bill’s service to our community. In lieu of flowers, a contribution can be made to the CGJA, a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation, at cgja.org/support. Please, mention that your contribution is to go to the William Trautman Memorial Fund.

The Napa Chapter and CGJA are planning to host an event in May 2014 to honor Bill. More information will follow shortly.

The Napa Chapter of CGJA is dedicated to promoting grand jury awareness, education and outreach. For information, contact President Diane Damé Shepp at napacgja@gmail.com (NapaChapter-CGJA.org).

Shepp is president of the Napa County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors’ Association

(Madera County) Grand Jury: Chowchilla Cemetery District violated Brown Act

BY MARINA GAYTAN
mgaytan@losbanosenterprise.comDecember 18, 2013

An investigation by the Madera County Grand Jury has determined members of the Chowchilla Cemetery District’s board of trustees purchased items without board approval and violated the Brown Act.

The findings by the grand jury are included in its 2013-14 report, which was released recently.

The report listed eight items determined to be out of compliance after several interviews by grand jury members, along with visits and attendance of board meetings. The items included purchases by certain trustees on behalf of the cemetery without first obtaining approval from the entire board. Those purchases were subsequently reimbursed by the cemetery.

The grand jury also learned about the purchase of a golf cart by a trustee member in July 2011, with approval from the board coming 10 days later.

The board failed to follow the trustee-approved procedures and policies in the employee handbook and failed to follow the Brown Act, according to the grand jury report. Brown Act violations included: trustees held special board meetings with improper or no notice to the public and held discussions and took action on items in closed session when it should have been done in an open session, the report said.

The Chowchilla Cemetery District trustees held a special meeting Dec. 9 to start addressing a number of concerns listed in the report. Cemetery trustees met at the Madera County Board of Supervisor’s District 2 office to receive training on agenda preparation, supporting of backup materials and a presentation on the Brown Act.

Trustees Duff Bryant, Ron Lawson, John Kirwin, Betty Askew and Andrea Giordenella all attended, along with Erin Coast, the board’s secretary.

“I felt that we needed the board to comply with the law,” said David Rogers, Madera County Supervisor District 2.

Rogers appointed three of the five members to the board. Rogers said he felt a need to bring the board in compliance with state requirements. “The purpose of today’s training is to be where we need to be legally, not to point fingers,” Rogers said at the meeting. “The cemetery district is run with taxpayers’ dollars and it needs to be run right.”

At the meeting, Tanna Boyd, Madera County chief clerk to the Board of Supervisors, gave training on agenda preparation and supporting documents to better help trustee members make decisions on agenda items. “Your agenda covers basic sections,” Boyd said at the meeting, “but we recommend you put a little more information.”

Boyd said the board should be more descriptive in their action items and should identify what that topic is.

“The public comment portion was not missing (from the agenda) but the identifying government code that requests public comment to be on agenda was missing,” Boyd said.

Referring to the budget, Rogers suggested when spending district money, discussions should be made during an open session. “You have to do everything in the eyes of the public,” Rogers said. He also said the board “should have supporting documents to justify the expenditure.”

Boyd recommended having a purchasing limit, so the board can make purchases up to a certain amount without full approval by the board. She also recommended that the secretary record minutes during the meetings, which keeps a record of actions, motions and creates a summary of each meeting.

Cemetery trustee Giordanella said she thought the training was helpful. “I though it was a nice presentation,” she said.

However, Giordanella said she doesn’t believe her fellow board members took the presentation seriously. “I believe David Rogers is doing everything in his power to work with this board. They (the board) are unworkable, very defiant; they don’t want to go by the law. They are stealing from the citizens of Chowchilla and are stealing from the dead.”

Other members of the cemetery board, however, took issue with Giordanella’s claims. Cemetery trustee Lawson said Giordanella “is a liar” who is “severely mistaken.” Lawson said issues that the board is facing stems from problems with a “disgruntled” former employee.

“The Grand Jury was pretty sloppy and the information they put in (the report) is misleading,” Lawson said. “The presentation was good ... I did get some information from it.”

Kirwin said “according to what they were saying, we’ve been doing the things we are supposed to, there may have been one or two things (wrong), but I think we followed the law as close as we could.”

Kirwin called Giordanella’s claim a “pretty bad accusation.”

“She better have something to back it up. I can assure you there’s no stealing going on, or else I would not be a part of that,” Kirwin said.

In addition to the Brown Act violations and the purchases, the Grand Jury also determined that:
• Curbs, gutters, sidewalks and asphalt are in need of repair for the safety of the public
• Cemetery district is not in compliance with Cal/OSHA requirements
• Employee job descriptions are outdated and do not reflect current employee duties
• Tools and equipment are in need of upgrading and/or replacement
The civil grand jury investigates complaints regarding government agencies and issues reports on its findings. Recommendations are not binding, but government agencies must respond in writing.

To view the full list of the report, visit the County of Madera website at www.madera-county.com.

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2013/12/18/3400232/grand-jury-chowchilla-cemetery.html#storylink=cpy

William E. Trautman 1941-2013

Bill Trautman, our beloved and revered California Grand Jurors’ Association (CGJA) president (2012-13), unexpectedly passed away on December 9, 2013.

We mourn the death of our friend and leader.  At the same time, we celebrate and honor him and his life, most of which over the past six years he devoted to promoting and serving the unique grand jury system in California.

As foreperson of the 2007-2008 Napa County Grand Jury, Bill liked to say it was the best grand jury ever.  The jury’s final reports described investigations into 13 topics, such as Farm Worker Housing and Municipal and County Fire Departments.  The reports received admiration and respect from many in the county.  One of the reports won the 2007 CGJA’s Excellence in Reporting Award, and the Napa Valley Register won the CGJA’s 2007 Excellence in Reporting Award for its coverage of the 2007-2008 Napa County Grand Jury.  Bill then served a second term as foreperson of the 2008-2009 Napa County Grand Jury. 

This experience hooked Bill into the mission of the grand jury statewide.  He joined the Napa County CGJA Chapter and became active at the state level.  He put his knowledge to work as a trainer of new jurors.  He was the editor of the Grand Jury Law Compendium and chair of the Legal and Legislative Resources Committee.  He became a CGJA director in 2011 and was elected as CGJA president in 2012.

Bill was an accomplished attorney who used his acumen and leadership skills to build the statewide organization, CGJA.  He also led the battle against AB 622 in 2012, which would have eviscerated the grand jury system. 

Bill received a BA degree in Economics from the University of California (Berkeley) and an LLB degree from the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law (Boalt Hall).  He practiced law for 42 years handling major litigation as a partner in three law firms.  Upon retiring, he became a mediator and arbitrator and lectured on various legal subjects and trial practice for California Continuing Education at the Bar and various other organizations.  Bill was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, past officer of the San Francisco Barristers’ Club, and a member of the board of directors of The Bar Association of San Francisco.  He was past president of the Oakland Museum Association, the Boalt Hall Alumni Association, and the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco.  In Napa, Bill was president of the Silverado Property Owners’ Association; former member of the Napa County General Plan Update Steering Committee; chair of the Silverado Community Services District Advisory Committee; and a member of the Napa County Groundwater Resources Advisory Committee. 

The family will host a Celebration of Life for Bill January 9, 2014 at 1:00PM at the Claremont Country Club, 5295 Broadway Terrace, Oakland, CA 94618;  Phone:(510) 655-2431

The CGJA has established a special fund to honor Bill’s leadership and service to the grand jury system.  CGJA will use the funds collected to promote and support this unique system.  Contributions may be made to the CGJA, a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation by clicking on the Donate button.  In the Personal Message space in the final screen, please state that that your contribution is to go to the William Trautman Memorial Fund.  Checks may be sent to: William Trautman Memorial Fund, 5645 Dartford Way, San Diego CA 92120

Alameda County rejects grand jury report criticizing real estate deal

By Matt O'Brien

mattobrien@bayareanewsgroup.com

Posted:   12/17/2013 05:00:27 PM PST | Updated:   a day ago

OAKLAND -- Alameda County officials are rejecting the accusations of a civil grand jury that found "complete lack of transparency" and "systemic failures" in the negotiations to build and buy a pricey new social services office.

A private developer built a new headquarters for the Alameda County Social Services Agency on a street corner in Oakland's fast-changing Uptown District, then sold the building to the county for $50.8 million two years ago.

The no-bid transactions raised red flags and might not have been in the public's best interest, an Alameda County grand jury declared this summer. County supervisors disagreed with the stinging conclusions in a formal response Tuesday.

Also upset by the grand jury report is developer Alan Dones, who said Tuesday his San Pablo Avenue project was cost-effective and a great success.

"Were it not for all of these sad, unfortunate attacks, I think this building would be one of the outstanding stories of our community," said Dones, managing partner at Oakland-based Strategic Urban Development Alliance. "It's a building that has so much quality and value."

Dones, who is African-American, also speculated that the complaints that sparked the grand jury investigation had racial undertones. When the development broke ground in 2004, it was celebrated as the largest black-led construction project in Oakland's history.

But it began attracting public scrutiny when a high-ranking county real estate official, C. Candace Fitzgerald, filed a whistle-blower lawsuit in 2006 claiming the county was wasting taxpayer money on a bad deal. That lawsuit was dismissed, but Dones said the project's legacy has been saddled with "vicious, defamatory attacks. Discrimination by defamation. It's very effective."

Asked to investigate, a 19-member civil grand jury last year began poring through thousands of county documents and interviewing officials who had been involved in the negotiations. The jury's conclusion was that the county ignored best industry practices, allowed the negotiations to be "wrestled away from ... real estate experts and into more political hands," and bought the building "without appropriate public discussion."

After securing a deal, with no competitive bidding, to build the 100,000-square-foot social welfare office, developers in 2004 tore down the abandoned Hotel Royal and the old Oakland Post newspaper building at the corner of San Pablo Avenue and 20th Street. They also paved the way for an adjacent condominium complex that would share parking spaces with the new county office.

That later led to internal wrangling within the county over whether bond proceeds were being used to subsidize the residential development, which later went into foreclosure.

The county signed a 30-year lease to use the San Pablo Avenue building and agreed to pay all utilities, taxes and maintenance. The county years later realized it was exempt from property taxes because it was a social services building, but had trouble working with the owner to get reimbursed, according to the grand jury.

That and other concerns led the county to begin negotiating to buy the property, which it did in 2011 for $50.7 million -- a pre-market-crash price for a building appraised at $24.1 million. The county also raised the grand jury's eyebrows by leaving the original owner with control over the storefront retail space, rooftop solar panels and many of the garage spaces.

The grand jury reported it was "concerned that the county may have purchased 2000 San Pablo Avenue, in part, to ensure that the developer would not fail financially."

Since county real estate transactions are usually handled by the Alameda County General Services Agency, the grand jury questioned why the San Pablo Avenue purchase was instead overseen by Assistant County Administrator Donna Linton. County officials responded Tuesday that it is normal for the county administrator's office to intervene in complex negotiations that involve county finances. The Board of Supervisors also asserted in the letter it approved Tuesday that the negotiations followed best practices and that the public was properly notified, though it conceded that supervisors could be given more information about the pros and cons of a purchase before they vote on it.

Dones said many of the grand jury's concerns might have been cleared up had they bothered to give him a call. "I didn't even know an investigation was going on until this report came out," Dones said. "I was shocked by it. How can you conduct a legitimate, sound investigation when one of the key subjects of the investigation is not even contacted to give their side of the story?"

Matt O'Brien covers Alameda County. Contact him at 510-208-6429.

The lesson of Bell: A watchful citizenry is still crucial

The Bell corruption scandal

Former Bell Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia, and her attorney Harland Braun sit in court in Los Angeles. Spaccia was convicted of corruption Monday in a case that drove the city of Bell to the brink of bankruptcy. (Associated Press / December 9, 2013)

By The Times editorial board

December 11, 2013

The conviction this week of former Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia for plundering the small working-class city of Bell to enrich herself — along with former City Manager Robert Rizzo's plea to 69 similar charges in October — closes one of the final chapters in the long-running graft-and-corruption scandal. The two masterminds now face sentences of up to 12 years in prison.

Spaccia was found guilty of 11 felony counts Monday, including misappropriation of public funds, conflict of interest and concealing public documents. During the 4 1/2-week trial, prosecutors and witnesses detailed how she and Rizzo managed to siphon more and more money from public coffers.

Spaccia, for example, was paid for a full 18 months when she wasn't working; she didn't use a single sick day or vacation day. Rizzo and Spaccia also awarded themselves 33 hours of vacation time every two weeks. They buried their total compensation in various reports and documents, making it extremely difficult for anyone to figure out how much they were earning. By the end of his time in Bell, Rizzo earned $1.18 million a year in salary, vacation and sick leave payouts. Spaccia earned $564,000 annually.

It's satisfying to see Rizzo and Spaccia pay for their greed and their disregard for the common good. But justice isn't enough. Bell fell prey to these thieves because government stopped answering to the public, and because an apathetic public failed to question the government. As Rizzo and Spaccia go off to prison, it's important to ask: Have we learned the lessons of Bell? And have we made the changes necessary to prevent another such scandal?

There was a flurry of legislation passed after The Times exposed the corruption in Bell. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gov. Jerry Brown signed off on more than a dozen changes to state law. Among other things, they created an agency within the state auditor's office to scrutinize cities, counties or special districts at high risk of waste, fraud or abuse; enacted restrictions on automatic raises for managers; required CalPERS, the state retirement system, to monitor for excessive salary increases; and required employees to repay paid leave or settlements if convicted of a crime related to his or her job.

State Controller John Chiang ordered cities, counties and special districts to regularly report payroll data, and his office created a government compensation database that has gotten near 7 million hits since 2010. And the city of Bell has begun airing council meetings live on its website, as well as posting financial data, vendor contracts and other public documents online.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-bell-trial-20131211,0,3004401.story#ixzz2nDCIzuQK

Jim Mayer and Neil McCormick: Boosting access to data

From the Orange County Register, December 3, 2013

 

By JIM MAYER and NEIL MCCORMICK

Californians receive many of their core local services from special districts – including drinking water, sanitation, fire protection and parks and recreation. These districts abide by countless state mandates which consist of the Brown and Public Records Acts, as well as ethics laws, financial audits and reports.

But where can Californians go to easily access meaningful data on these and other local agencies? Individual districts and the State Controller have made commendable efforts to increase public awareness of district finances. However, much of this data exists in complex public budget documents or thick reports aggregating information from throughout the state.

Working in partnership, California Forward and the California Special Districts Association have launched a new tool for accessing key financial data on the state's nearly 2,000 special districts. Driven by data submitted by the districts to the State Controller, this expansion of California Forward's Local Government Transparency Portal, which debuted earlier this year, includes three years of critical data points on district revenues, expenditures, reserves and obligations.

This data is supplemented by information on the services provided by each special district and the nature of district budgeting and fiscal responsibility. Additionally, the portal is linked to California Special Districts Association's GIS project, “Putting Special Districts on the Map,” which allows users to map the locations of the districts throughout the state.

Why is this important?

Public financial information – revenue and expenditures – reflect priorities and values. Spending authority is a powerful tool to advance critical public goals in health, education, public safety and economic development. From the public's perspective, the value of these services is determined by linking the cost of each service to its benefit. The special district portal is a shortcut to finding key information, and is a gateway to learning more about important service providers. Moreover, the project highlights the best transparency practices being developed in diverse communities across the state.

One challenge is the various features of the local services that special districts provide, and how they are funded. For this reason, the new portal includes glossaries and background information, connecting the data to the context, helping citizens understand the activities of each district. In addition, individual special districts can submit supplementary details on their specific strengths, constraints and objectives. We hope to expand this project to include even more information.

Our efforts build upon the pro-active steps of other organizations. In 2013, the Special District Leadership Foundation launched the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence, a program that empowers and motivates special districts to implement more transparent practices. The program redefines transparency as a value necessary to an organization's overall performance and recognizes agencies that make positive changes.

Local agencies are seeing increased responsibilities for delivering essential local services and Californians will naturally want more information on how those services are delivered. The next step is up to you.

Jim Mayer is president and CEO of California Forward. Neil McCormick is executive director of California Special Districts Association.

Council expected to admonish mayor, send issue to (San Joaquin county) grand jury

November 23, 2013 9:00 AM
STOCKTON – The City Council is expected to publicly admonish Mayor Anthony Silva for prematurely releasing the name of a city manager candidate.

The council also wants to send an account of his actions to the county’s civil grand jury, saying his derailed the hiring process and embarrassed Stockton, a city report said Friday.

On direction from the council in closed session Tuesday, City Attorney John Luebberke drew up the two-pronged punishment, accusing him of a Brown Act violation. The City Council will vote on the action Dec. 3.

The unusual measure stems from Silva's behavior Nov. 5 when the mayor released to the media the name of Coachella City Manager David Garcia before confidential contract negotiations had concluded. The leak created confusion and Garcia backed out, Luebberke’s report says.

Earlier this week, Silva publicly threatened to take legal action against Luebberke if he tried to keep him from exercising his right as mayor to lead the city manager search.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131123/A_NEWS/131129960

Former Marin grand jurors continue to watchdog local affairs

By Nels Johnson
Marin Independent Journal

Posted:   11/21/2013 05:11:55 PM PST

A new organization of gumshoes has convened to keep an eye on affairs of state in Marin County.

Thirteen members of last year's civil grand jury have formed what they're calling the Implementation Review Group, a panel of ex-jurors that wants to make sure public agencies and others are accountable for taking grand jury recommendations seriously.

Rich Treadgold of San Rafael, foreman of last year's jury, said the new group intends to "strengthen the system" by monitoring responses to grand jury recommendations, then advising the current grand jury on those failing to follow through. This will allow current jurors to focus their full attention on new investigations, he noted.

"We're not a shadow grand jury," he said. "We're just a group of citizens who happen to be ex-grand jurors and know the system."

The ex-jurors noted "there was a natural tendency" among some agencies that were the subject of jury inquiries "not to follow up" on recommendations even though a statement of compliance, explanation of non compliance or further analysis is required by law.

"We want to make sure all the responses to jury reports meet the statutory requirements," he said.
Paul Premo of Mill Valley, another member of the group, said that in addition to advising the current grand jury on the adequacy of responses, the review group may issue report cards.

"We're thinking of giving grades as to the sufficiency of the responses," Premo said.

Several members, for example, are working on a report detailing how agencies have responded to last year's jury call for reform of retiree health benefit programs.

Although members said there is nothing secret or clandestine about the review group, it's twice monthly meetings are not open to the public, although they may be at some point. "We're creating this entity as we go," Treadgold said. "We're just starting."

The panel has adopted a formal charter that, among other things, calls for publicizing "the positive impact" of grand jury reports on the community.

Ex-juror Peter Kiers of Greenbrae told the review group in a report last week that the impact of last year's jury proposal for reform of what critics call the supervisors' "slush fund" has been positive.

While more work is needed to get the controversial community grant program in shape, "I was favorably impressed with their collective efforts thus far to improve the program," he said. "I'm encouraged by the steps taken thus far."

At the same time, Kiers advised, the supervisors need to make sure that only "genuine one-time projects" with clear-cut objectives get grants, "fewer but more substantial awards" are offered, public agencies are regarded as ineligible and more transparency is employed.

 

Contact Nels Johnson via email at njohnson@marinij.com. Follow him at twitter.com/nelsjohnsonnews

(Napa County) Grand jury makes submitting a complaint easier

November 14, 2013 10:04 am • Register staff
The Napa County grand jury, which serves as a watchdog of local government, has created a new complaint form for anyone requesting a grand jury investigation.

The new form, which is available in English and Spanish, is designed to help residents understand the grand jury complaint process and provide guidance for filling it out.

To obtain a form, visit napacourt.com/general-info/grand-jury. Complaints can be mailed in or emailed to grandjury@napa.courts.ca.gov.

All complaints will remain confidential as required by law, the grand jury said in a news release.

The grand jury investigates and reports on the operations of local government, including special districts.

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/grand-jury-makes-submitting-a-complaint-easier/article_ee7f5f0e-4d56-11e3-a724-001a4bcf887a.html

Fresno County grand jury: Coroner should be a medical doctor, not combined with Sheriff’s Office

 

By Carmen George
The Fresno Bee; November 15, 2013 Updated 18 hours ago 

2013-11-16T06:10:19Z

 Recent talk about eliminating the Fresno County coroner/public administrator position by combining it with the Sheriff's Office got a strong push-back this week from the county grand jury, which says the coroner should be a medical doctor.

Thursday's grand jury report comes a little more than a week after the Board of Supervisors voted to explore combining coroner duties with the sheriff's office. Supervisors also talked about splitting up the duties -- giving coroner responsibilities to the sheriff, and public administrator duties to the district attorney.

The county's coroner/public administrator has made clear his opposition to the proposal.
"There's a huge difference in training between someone who carries a gun and someone who carries a scalpel," said Dr. David Hadden, who's served in the position for more than 30 years. "I don't hear anyone say, 'Dr. Hadden should be the sheriff.' It's ridiculous."

So when advocates say the sheriff should be the coroner, Hadden said, that should seem equally ridiculous.

The future of the position will be decided at the Dec. 3 supervisors meeting, said board chairman Henry Perea, who voted against exploring the merger.

Perea said the board-driven proposal was "spontaneous" and without study, and Hadden and Sheriff Margaret Mims were not even alerted about the subject beforehand.

"If this was a front-burner issue for the county, they should have been told about it a year ago," he said.

Although the grand jury rejected handing the coroner's job to the sheriff's office, the panel did recommend some changes:

Following the end of the term of the coroner elected in 2014, it should no longer be an elected position. A medical examiner should be appointed to serve as coroner, who would report to the supervisors.
Until the medical examiner model is implemented, public administrator duties should remain with the coroner's office.
To run for the position of coroner, a candidate should be a doctor.


Perea is asking county staff to gather data about coroner costs, but said he believes it will cost the county more if the responsibilities are handed off to the sheriff.

"The sheriff is not going to do it for free," Perea said. "We have a hard enough time keeping people in jail; now we are going to make (Mims) be a coroner? It can also create a horrible perception of a conflict of interest that can be bad. I think our community deserves better."

Chief forensic pathologist Dr. Venu Gopal, who's worked for Hadden for more than 20 years, said he agrees with the grand jury findings.

"The majority of the (coroner) cases are medically related, so someone with medical knowledge is better suited than a non-medical person," Gopal said.
From the beginning of the year through Sept. 30, more than 2,600 cases were referred to the county coroner's office. On average, the office does up to 800 autopsies and external evaluations a year, he said.

Most of the country uses a medical evaluator system, Gopal said, along with almost all major cities.
As home to one of California's largest cities, Fresno County should also adopt the same model, he said.

Hadden said public administrator duties -- dealing with estates and property when no one is around to manage them, such as after an elderly person dies -- is also a natural fit for his office, because those affected often have already been in contact with the coroner.

Hadden said it's important a coroner be able to "speak the same language" as doctors doing work within the office, because the coroner makes the ultimate decision about what goes on a death certificate.

He said he heard of a case where a lay coroner said someone was poisoned, although the pathologist, who studied the body, disagreed.

"That put a father with four kids in jeopardy of being charged with homicide, so it has intense personal consequences for the accused, and they deserve absolutely the best this county can give,"

Hadden said. "The reason a lot of smaller counties have sheriff-coroner systems is because they can't afford anything else ... It's an old-fashioned model going back years, way back to the 19th century.
"Just because it's prevalent doesn't mean it's correct. We have moved on."

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/15/3611391/fresno-county-grand-jury-coroner.html#storylink=cpy