Watchdogs Wanted for County Grand Jury Volunteers

Superior Court Executive Officer, Darrel E. Parker, announced [this week] that the Superior Court is actively seeking volunteers for the fiscal year 2022-2023 Civil Grand Jury. To be considered for service on the Grand Jury, you must be a citizen of the United States, be 18 years of age or older, be of good character, have been a resident of Santa Barbara County for at least one year, and have never been convicted of a felony or malfeasance in office.

The principal functions of the Grand Jury include investigation and review of the departments and special districts of county and city government; involvement in fiscal or management audits; and the preparation of reports on related matters. Reports are then filed with recommendations for improvement of operations.

Service on the Grand Jury is for a period of one-year commencing July 1 through June 30, and usually involves approximately 25 hours per week. There is no question that service on the Grand Jury is a big sacrifice of time; however, it is an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of government, while providing a valuable service to the community.

Applications for the 2022-2023 Grand Jury can be obtained from the court’s Jury Services office in Santa Barbara at (805) 882-4530 or Santa Maria at (805) 614-6464, or downloaded from the court’s website at www.sbcourts.org.

Applications should be submitted to: Santa Barbara Superior Court, Jury Services, 1108 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 no later than Friday May 6, 2022. The new Grand Jury will begin on July 1, 2022 and serve through June 30, 2023.

Questions regarding this press release should be directed to Clarence Harlow at (805) 882-4539 or (805) 614-6464.