Grand Jury
The privilege of serving as a Civil Grand Juror comes with many rewards including the satisfaction of making a worthwhile contribution to improving the lives of El Dorado County residents.
Civil Grand Jury Flyer(PDF, 189KB)
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More Information
Now Accepting Applications: 2024-2025 Civil Grand Jury
About Us
The Civil Grand Jury (Jury) is comprised of 19 members who serve for one year, from July 1 through June 30 of the following year. State law requires that applicants be a United States citizen, 18 years of age or older, of ordinary intelligence and good character, a resident of El Dorado County for at least 1 year with a working knowledge of the English language.
More about the Civil Grand Jury
California state law requires that all 58 counties impanel a Jury to serve during each fiscal year. (Penal Code Section 905, California Constitution, Article I, Section 23.)
The Jury is an investigatory body created for the protection of society and the enforcement of the law. It is an arm of the Court and a representative of the public. Although it is an arm of the Court, it operates independently of direct Court supervision. It is a check against governmental authority. It is not a branch of the County, nor is it answerable to the District Attorney.
The function of the Civil Grand Jury is to investigate the operations of El Dorado County departments and agencies, city governments, school districts and special districts. The Jury determines which issues will be investigated during its term of office.
Written complaints can also be submitted for investigation by private residents. Investigations are at the discretion of the Jury. The Civil Grand Jury cannot investigate disputes between private parties, or activities outside their jurisdiction.
How Does It Work?
Each Jury determines which issues to investigate.
Juries are free to choose their methodology. In recent years, the usual practice has been to divide into committees, which then select the officers, departments or agencies to investigate.
State law authorizes Juries, as representatives of the local citizenry, to review and evaluate the effectiveness and cost/benefit of procedures, methods, and systems.
During their investigations, jurors may inspect and audit books, records, and financial expenditures; interview civil servants and others who may have pertinent information; and inspect government facilities, before issuing reports with findings and recommendations.
After a judge reviews the reports to confirm legal compliance, copies are provided to the appropriate departments, which are required by law to respond. The Jury then releases the reports to the public via the Civil Grand Jury website and the media.