SAN JOSE — South Bay residents fascinated by serving as public watchdogs with an eye fixed on authorities effectivity, transparency and corruption are being sought to affix the subsequent Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury.
Functions for the 2025-2026 time period of the civilian oversight and auditing physique — consisting of 19 members managed by the county Superior Courtroom — are due March 28.
The grand jury panel has huge latitude for the subjects, entities and public officers they select to look at, and intensive entry to officers and information. Their purview largely entails governmental features and use of public funds. Whereas which may sound overly bureaucratic, the impression and attain of investigations by the civil grand jury through the years has been important.
Its work has included intense scrutiny of the affect of the San Francisco 49ers soccer staff on the town of Santa Clara, the place its major venue Levi’s Stadium is situated. A 2022 report by the grand jury grew to become the main focus of a high-profile legal investigation after it was leaked to the staff earlier than its official launch, resulting in the legal conviction final 12 months of former Santa Clara County Metropolis Councilmember Anthony Becker.
Town has grow to be a daily focus for the grand jury, with one other report launched final 12 months outlining alleged infighting and disarray over ethics practices, which got here 5 years after the town was criticized over its public information and transparency insurance policies.
The grand jury can also be straight chargeable for the ouster of former sheriff Laurie Smith, after handing down corruption allegations concerning political favoritism in her workplace’s issuing of concealed-gun licenses and her resistance to civilian oversight. An ensuing civil grand jury trial pressured her into not searching for a seventh time period and finally concluded together with her being formally faraway from workplace in 2022.
Over the previous few years, the grand jury has additionally investigated issues like lobbying transparency within the San Jose Unified Faculty District, feminine firefighter rent and dropout charges, conservatorships, lagging 911 response occasions in San Jose, and Santa Clara’s dealing with of public-records entry, inexpensive housing, and bond measure spending. Different earlier experiences have tackled police power used towards mentally in poor health individuals, the tempo of legal instances going via the court docket system, and situations in county jails and juvenile detention.
Candidates have to be not less than 18 years previous, a U.S. citizen and resident of the county. Civil grand jurors sometimes work a mean of 25 hours per week within the voluntary position. The subsequent time period begins July 1 and runs via June 30, 2026.
