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NewsThe Civil Grand Jury is not a courtroom jury. Instead of listening to a trial and deliberating, the nineteen members of the Civil Grand Jury (CGJ) are officers of the Court and spend a year actively investigating and reporting on the work of local government with the goal of improving governmental accountability and transparency. The CGJ performs a watchdog function by examining city and county governments and special districts to ensure their duties are lawfully and efficiently conducted. The CGJ then reports to the community and press. Investigations may be initiated in response to letters from citizens, newspaper articles, and personal knowledge.
Four things make Civil Grand Jury service unique:
Four things make Civil Grand Jury service unique:
- Civil Grand Juries are supervised by the Superior Court, but jurors make all their own rules within the Penal Code. Nobody tells them what to do or how to do it.
- Their work is strictly confidential by law. Grand Jurors speak only through their official reports, and nobody knows what the jury is investigating until the reports are published.
- Agencies that receive recommendations are required to respond to them in writing. If they aren’t going to follow jury recommendations, they must explain why not.
- Jurors spend their time looking into virtually every aspect of local government, including the county departments, local city councils, and special districts responsible for delivering a variety of public services ranging from schools to fire protection, hospitals, water districts and transportation agencies.
Civil Grand Jury service is interesting and rewarding work. Contra Costa County is now accepting applications until April 3, 2026, for the fiscal year 2026-27 term. See Civil Grand Jury on the Contra Costa County Superior Court website for more information.
Anne Granlund, Board Member, LWVDV, and past Civil Grand Juror
This article is related to which committees:
LWV Diablo Valley Observer CorpsLeague to which this content belongs:
Diablo Valley
