Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury recruitment

I am writing in my capacity as the Supervising Judge of the Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jury.  I’d like to invite you to pass along the following information to anyone you think might be interested in serving as a Civil Grand Juror.  I am hoping that through your contacts, we can extend our usual outreach and have a great pool of potential grand jurors.

 The Santa Cruz County Superior Court is currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 Civil Grand Jury.  The Civil Grand Jury is a 19-member body responsible for investigating and reporting on local government performance.  Service on the Civil Grand Jury is for a one-year term, with an expected time contribution of about 20 hours per week.  Prior members of the Civil Grand Jury have described the pride and satisfaction they experienced in working together to closely examine local government functions, write reports on their findings, and make recommendations that have improved our community.

 Our Civil Grand Juries have accomplished incredibly important work.  Previous investigations have covered topics such as wildfire preparedness, government websites, the county jail, homelessness, school safety, county elections, water districts, law enforcement agencies, and the public library system.  The Civil Grand Jury’s recommendations following its investigations help improve all of the public agencies and greatly benefit our community.

 The importance of having a Civil Grand Jury that reflects our entire community cannot be understated.  The Civil Grand Jury needs people from all parts of our county and from diverse backgrounds.  The Civil Grand Jury should consist of people who will bring a variety of perspectives to the important work of ensuring that our local government agencies are providing services in a fair, just, and transparent manner.  It is my great hope that we are flooded with applications from all over the county, from people of all backgrounds, from citizens with a strong commitment to the community. 

Applications are due by April 28, 2021.  A flyer with information about upcoming Zoom information sessions is attached.  Further information and the application itself can be found at the following websites: 

http://www.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/Departments/GrandJury.aspx

 https://www.santacruzcourt.org/divisions/jury/grand%20jury

 Thank you so much for your help in spreading the word about this opportunity to perform a valuable service to the community.

 Judge Syda K. Cogliati

Supervising Judge of the Civil Grand Jury

Santa Cruz County Superior Court