Close to Home: All that’s behind that grand jury report

For many, the end of June marks the beginning of summer, family vacations and an opportunity for relaxation.

However, for 19 devoted county residents it concludes their one-year term on the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury and brings the release of their annual report summarizing the many investigations they conducted into local government operations.

For another 19 county residents, June brings their selection and empanelment on a new grand jury. The first 30-60 days of service for these volunteers includes intensive training on the California Penal Code (which governs grand juries), investigative best practice and professional writing skills.

Following their training, the jurors begin to evaluate, research and investigate their cases. By January, some investigations are nearing completion, and the jurors begin to prepare their reports.

California law requires that each county’s Superior Court annually impanel a grand jury. These grand juries have broad powers to investigate and report upon the conduct of local government.

As with any public service organization, grand juries are most effective when they represent a cross section of the local demographic.

Teachers, social workers, business leaders, laborers, scientists, lawyers and secretaries work hand-in-hand evaluating the efficiency and responsiveness of local government operations.

Their investigations can arise from citizen complaints, statutory reviews or their own curiosity. Above all, their inquiries must be non-partisan, objective and independent.

In recent years, some confusion has arisen concerning the difference between civil and criminal grand juries. Although California laws do not limit a county civil grand jury’s involvement in criminal cases, most counties empower their grand juries to provide oversight of local government.

The over-arching goal of civil grand juries is to bring about positive change and more effective local government.

The 2014-15 Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury’s final report was released June 24. It provides summaries, findings and recommendations from six separate investigations of timely and important local subjects, as follows:

An investigation into the county’s progress in reducing a large unfunded pension liability and in gaining greater control over total compensation costs determined that the county has made some progress but has a considerable distance to go.

A study of local water management determined that Sonoma County has acknowledged the enormous task of meeting sustainability requirements. The real challenge will come in seeing how quickly policies and plans can be implemented - especially as they apply to groundwater.

Each year the grand jury is asked to inspect the county’s criminal detention facilities. The jury concluded that these facilities are generally well run but continue to be challenged by understaffing and impact from the state’s realignment program.

The Valley of The Moon Children’s Home, operated by the county, provides temporary accommodations and oversight for children under the age of 18. Responding to a citizen complaint, the grand jury investigated relevant aspects of the home’s operations and found no merit to the allegations.

An investigation into how the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department administers complaints relating to permit violations and code infractions determined that the department is committed to responsive customer service but could benefit from a more structured monitoring system.

Finally, the grand jury is empowered by local law enforcement agencies to ensure that the approved protocol for investigating officer-involved fatal incidents has been followed. Seven fatal incident cases were reviewed by the grand jury, which found all seven cases complied with the protocol.

The full reports for all of these investigations can be found on the grand jury’s website www.sonomagrandjury.org.

The grand jury plays a distinct and vitally important role in local government. Its unbiased position provides unique objectivity to the activities of our county, cities and special districts.

Charlotte Addington is the 2015-16 foreperson of the Sonoma County Grand Jury. Martin Jones was the 2014-15 foreperson.