Santa Clara County nonetheless having applicants for 2023 civil grand jury

SAN JOSE — The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury, the court-appointed watchdog driving a swath of noteworthy public accountability investigations — together with the ongoing corruption demo versus Sheriff Laurie Smith — is still inviting possible jurors for the 2023 expression.

Remarkable Court docket officers have set a Sept. 16 application deadline for men and women intrigued in serving the time period, which lasts for the calendar yr.

The 19-member jury panel has a huge berth for the subject areas, entities and public officers that users pick to study, and considerable entry to officers and documents. Their purview mainly requires governmental functions and use of community funds, as properly as the affliction of jails and juvenile detention.

About the past couple many years, jurors investigated issues like lobbying transparency in the San Jose Unified Faculty District, female firefighter employ the service of and dropout prices, conservatorships, lagging 911 response times in San Jose, and Santa Clara’s handling of public-data access. In the very last total term, for 2021, the group took on topics like economical housing in Palo Alto and Mountain Perspective and oversight of bond evaluate paying out.

“The court docket seeks the most certified candidates of diverse backgrounds reflecting the broad variety of the population of Santa Clara County, as very well as men and women agent of the county’s geographical regions and age groups,” Presiding Choose Theodore Zayner mentioned in a statement. “There is no individual history, coaching, or working experience required to provide – all civic-minded people who share a dedication to democratic beliefs are inspired to use.”

Previous 12 months, the civil grand jury finished 1 of its greatest-profile investigations in modern memory and handed down official corruption accusations versus Sheriff Smith, alleging that her issuing of concealed-have weapons permits was rife with favoritism and favor-investing, and that she was actively stalling civilian oversight above her company.

The accusations issued by the civil grand jury employed a minimal-recognised authority bestowed on the overall body to continue to keep community officials in line: A responsible verdict in an future trial — set to commence Sept. 21 — would forcibly take out Smith from workplace.