For Immediate Release - Grand Jury Appreciation Month
Mono County Celebrates Civil Grand Jury Appreciation Month in March
Mono County citizens can make a difference in improving local government by serving as Grand Juror – an essential watchdog function of our society often resulting in positive change!
The Mono County Board of Supervisors honored the important work done by the civil grand jury today by adopting a resolution that proclaims March as Civil Grand Jury Appreciation Month in Mono County. The Mono County Superior Court was pleased to have Board Chair Rhonda Duggan read the proclamation into the public record.
According to Louis Panetta, president of the California Grand Jurors’ Association, “We all know there are many issues that arise about the activities of local government and special districts. Just read some letters to the editor or attend a public meeting and you’ll hear many varied opinions. Some of the issues that are raised can become the subject of investigations by the Civil Grand Jury members within a county.”
Civil grand juries are independent bodies that investigate city, county, school district, and special district administration and governance reviewing their effectiveness, governmental efficiency, and taxpayer expenditures. Ideas for investigations generally come from three sources: citizen complaints, matters raised by the members of the grand jury, and referrals from the preceding grand jury.
The jurors in Mono County are appointed to serve on the civil grand jury by Presiding Judge, Honorable Mark Magit. These volunteers dedicate a year of service to the watchdog body to investigate specific local government activities. Each year, reports are produced that are available for viewing at the Mono County Superior Court courthouse or on their website at https://www.mono.courts.ca.gov/general-information/jury-service/grand-jury.
The function of the grand jury is to ensure that the entity under investigation is adhering to the laws that govern the operations of that entity. While it has no authority to order compliance with its recommendations, the grand jury reports often result in positive change. Entities respond to the recommendations and those responses become part of the published reports. The implementation of many recommendations has been brought about by this public visibility.
Please join the Mono County Superior Court in celebrating these tireless citizens that have volunteered to be members of the Mono County Civil Grand Jury. If you would be interested in volunteering for this important civil responsibility, please contact the Mono County Superior Court. The term of the grand jury runs from July thru June.