Installation Ceremony of New Civil Grand Jury – Fiscal Year 2026-2027

Santa Barbara Superior Court Presiding Judge Patricia Kelly announces that the installation  ceremony of the new 2026-2027 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury will occur at noon on July 1,  2026, in Dept. 14 of the Jury Assembly Building at 1108 Santa Barbara Street. The ceremonies  include the discharge of the outgoing 2025-2026 Grand Jury who released a number of reports  during their term of office. The public and media are invited to attend. 

The Civil Grand Jury is a unique institution whose primary purpose is to act as a “watchdog” of  local government and make recommendations for improvements. The 19 members of the Civil  Grand Jury are citizen volunteers who serve for a one-year period. Three jurors from the current Grand Jury will be “held over” for a second year of service under a special provision of law in  order to provide continuity and “institutional memory” for the new Grand Jury members.  

Copies of the grand jury’s reports can be found at www.sbcgj.org.  

Questions regarding this press release should be directed to the Santa Barbara Jury Office at (805)  882-4530 or the Santa Maria Jury Office at (805) 614-6464.