The County of Riverside Superior Court is now accepting applications for individuals interested in serving as civil grand jurors.
If selected, each juror will receive per diem (non-taxable) wages, including pay for mileage. The time of service is from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.
According to California Courts, all 58 counties in California select a group of local residents to participate as jurors every year. The jurors’ duties include, but are not limited to, investigating the operations of county government (investigations are under the discretion of the select county grand jury), researching matters of civic concern, and performing inquiries into public offenses.
Josh Franco, assistant professor of political science at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, California, categorized civil grand juries as an underutilized oversight mechanism during a presentation at the 2021 California Grand Jurors’ Association annual conference. He argued that juries are incumbent to local community progression.
“Civil grand juries, after conducting their investigation, can reveal information to the local government and the public,” Franco said. “Revealing information to the local government is valuable because it can break a logjam of inaction with a local government.”
Applications to participate in the Riverside County Civil Grand Jury will be accepted through April 1, 2022.
Jonathan Linden is a freelance reporter covering politics for The Raincross Gazette. Jonathan graduated from Biola University with a B.A in journalism and also reports for 91.9 KVCR in San Bernardino.
Work continues on the general fund and biennial budgets, a grant can help pay for a new RPD service dog, and the Board of Ethics considers amending its current code.
Funds raised for the event will support Riverside Public Library programs and resources. RPLF President said the goal is to celebrate the mission of supporting lifelong learning and creating a resilient Riverside.
