Riverside Superior Court opened grand jury applications Feb. 23. The grand jury investigates county and city governments and public officials. They can bring criminal indictments. The application closes April 3.
If accepted, the applicant will be one of 19 volunteers that serve for a year, beginning July 1. They are paid $60 per day, during a four day work-week, and receive parking and mileage fees. They meet in downtown Riverside.
An application to serve is screened by a judge’s committee. The Riverside County Sheriff then runs a background check on the applicant. Applicants are then interviewed by the judge’s committee. If they pass, they are placed on a shortlist of 25-30 people, which are then randomly selected in June.
The grand jury is divided into committees that in the past have reviewed the county’s justice system, the county’s administration and city governments.
They determine whether to formally request a public official’s removal from office, and act on complaints from county residents.
Applicants must be a United States citizens 18 years or older, must have lived in Riverside County since at least July 1, 2022, must understand English and must be able to attend the hearings and meetings four days a week. They also must not be a felon, or be currently serving as a trial juror or as a public official.
The grand jury is assisted by a superior court judge, the district attorney and county counsel.
The 2021-22 Riverside grand jury released six reports.
The last investigated the county’s children services division. The investigation was prompted by news of child deaths and child abuse. The jury found that the caseload management for social workers was too high, and recommended the Board of Supervisors create 90 more social worker positions, at an annual cost of $7 million.
They also investigated Blythe’s 20% decrease in population over the past decade, and recommended the city hire a permanent city manager. Their other reports covered transparency in COVID-19 aid, county leadership in financial risks and the Western Municipal Water District.
More information is provided by Riverside Superior Court, the Judicial Branch of California and the California Grand Jurors’ Association.
The application is available here. It requests a personal evaluation of applicant’s writing ability, communication skills, research experience, data analysis experience, committee work, motivation for joining the grand jury and education.
