Quick Take
The county’s civil grand jury is recruiting and Kim Horowitz, the current jury’s foreperson, thinks everyone with extra time and a desire to contribute to democracy should volunteer. The job, she says, takes 15-20 hours a week and offers a chance for citizens to make a difference locally by investigating county and city government and programs and offering suggestions for change. This year’s topics and reports – still undisclosed to the public – will be coming out from late April until June. Some findings, she suggests, will likely make a media splash.
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About a year ago, I received a postcard in the mail from the Santa Cruz County Superior Court that changed how I think about our community.
The postcard announced a recruitment drive for the county civil grand jury. Having just retired as a finance manager, and missing the personal interaction and mental stimulation of the workplace, I decided I’d give it a try. It sounded like a good fit for me. Little did I know what I had signed up for – or that they would assign me the foreperson role.
I was initially really nervous in my new role. Was I in over my head? Would I be able to set a congenial, collaborative tone? How would I ever facilitate a group process to settle on which investigation subjects we would spend our term working on? Would the other 18 members be supportive of me or would they challenge me and cause me to question myself?
But I think I did contribute to setting a collegial tone. We did settle on a really great variety of investigation topics, which you will be hearing about in coming weeks and months as our reports become public. And I’m grateful to say that my fellow jurors have been open and accepting of my leadership.
I have learned so much being a juror.
As the foreperson, I had to adjust to being an equal member of a group. I was not a “boss” managing a department, as I had done in my job as a finance manager. I’m not comfortable with conflict, but I’ve learned to go out of my comfort zone when I’ve had to handle differences between jurors and when there have been challenges to my decisions. I’ve been forced to grow professionally and personally.
So what is the civil grand jury and what is its purpose?
First, a civil grand jury is different from a criminal grand jury. The purpose of the civil grand jury is to conduct investigations into aspects of city and county governments and special districts. The subject of an investigation can include the performance of elected officials, county staff and their departments and local agencies within Santa Cruz County, as well as the cities in the county.
Think about that. It’s an amazing and often underappreciated piece of local democracy. You get to look into problems and suggest solutions.
Who serves on a grand jury?
Grand juries are made up of ordinary citizens. Panels consist of 19 jurors and 11 alternates. A panel with a wide variety of juror backgrounds and differing skill sets is the ideal for a productive jury. This year’s grand jury includes a doctor, a kitchen designer, a teacher, a lawyer, two computer scientists and a social scientist, just to name a few. While jurors tend to be older, as these are often people with more free time, but some jurors are young. Younger jurors are especially welcome for the diversity and fresh approach they can bring.
Almost any adult is qualified to sit on the jury. Basic requirements include being a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, a resident of the county for at least one year and able to speak and write English fluently. Jurors serve a one-year term from July through June.
What exactly do grand jurors do?
Jurors are volunteers who commit to working 15-20 hours or more per week. They call in government officials and county department heads for interviews and review government documents or do online research for the investigations they choose to work on. After several months of investigative work, jurors move on to writing reports and going through round after round of editing and judicial review before finally producing a report ready for publication.
I don’t think any of my fellow jurors would describe this work as “fun.” There are highs and lows. There are periods of frustration with the inevitable obstacles of putting a report together. Elected officials or county managers are sometimes reluctant to sit for interviews. Requests from county agencies for documentation often go initially unanswered or occasionally even require a judge’s subpoena to force compliance. Sometimes the data you are looking for is elusive or doesn’t exist at all.
But this work is so rewarding. Currently, our grand jurors are wrapping up their investigations and our reports are starting to come together. Investigative committee members are starting to get the sense that “this report is going to make a big splash.” The hard work is paying off.
I can’t talk about what we are working on this term, but past investigations have included reports on local housing for workers, jail conditions, our community’s behavioral health crisis, state surveillance, and building code compliance.
Grand jury reports include recommendations that require responses from officials or agency management. They must indicate if they will or will not implement juror recommendations. While the grand jury doesn’t have the authority to force county officials or department heads to implement report recommendations, the board of supervisors receives and reviews jury reports. The board can then choose to use its authority to make the recommended change happen.
Reports are also distributed to local media. After the grand jury term is over and our reports become public, jurors know there will be news articles detailing responses from the officials or heads of county agencies. Some reports will touch a nerve in the community and get extensive media play. And there will be reports of tangible changes that result from grand jury reports.
Here is a story of a tangible change. Last year’s grand jury produced eight reports, and one – a report on cyber threat preparedness – saw clear results. This investigation looked into the state of cyber preparedness in county and city governments. And the jurors found serious deficiencies.
As a result, the county has convened a regional cybersecurity consortium, collaborating with the four cities and Santa Cruz regional 911 to tighten up cybersecurity practices. Some cities committed to hiring cybersecurity specialists in response to report recommendations.
Look for this term’s grand jury reports to start appearing in local media beginning in late April, with the last reports coming in June. At least one of these reports is bound to pique your interest or address an issue you’ve thought needed attention.
Finally, I would like to elaborate a bit more on the personal rewards of being a grand juror.
The connection I have with my fellow jurors is something special. Working closely as a group toward a common goal of improving our local government has built a real sense of collegiality. These are people I respect and admire. They are the best of our community and I hope to stay connected with them well after our term has ended.
Serving as a grand juror has been the experience of a lifetime that has given me an insider view on what it means to serve as “the voice of the people.”
I hope I’ve sparked your interest in serving on the upcoming civil grand jury.
There are so few ways for an ordinary citizen to directly impact their local government. I believe serving as a civil grand juror is the most effective way to participate in the democratic process to achieve meaningful change. I would encourage anyone interested to consider filling out an application for the upcoming term by April 29.
Kim Horowitz is a lifelong Santa Cruz area resident. She previously worked over the hill as a finance manager until her retirement in 2022. She lives with her husband, Eric, and pug, Gigi. She has three grown kids and three grandkids – all Santa Cruzans. Her future plans involve international travel and new volunteer opportunities.