Riverside County's New Civil Grand Jury To Be Introduced Friday

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA— Riverside County Superior Court officials on Friday will announce the names of 19 residents who will spend the next 12 months serving on the county's civil grand jury, scrutinizing government operations and performing other watchdog tasks.

The individuals, who are slated to be on hand for the announcement, were nominated by judges under a process that began in January and involved background checks for all of the nominees, who must meet minimum requirements, including proof of American citizenship, English fluency and "sound judgment and good character," according to a Superior Court Executive Office statement.

"In making judicial nominations, the court attempted to apportion the panel on the basis of gender, race, age and residency in (county) supervisorial districts to the extent possible from among the applications received," the executive office stated.

The grand jury investigates citizen complaints about government agencies and conducts inquiries on its own initiative.

Panelists are not salaried but do receive a small stipend to cover expenses and are compensated for travel. They rely on the county's presiding judge for legal assistance but are otherwise generally free to pursue whatever interests them.

In the past, juries have investigated complaints against the District Attorney's and Registrar of Voters offices and the Mental Health and Animal Services departments.

In 2014, jurors uncovered numerous irregularities in how the Board of Supervisors handled discretionary funds allotted to each supervisor, prompting several policy changes to increase transparency.

Additional information about the grand jury is available at http://www.riverside.courts.ca... .

— By City News Service