Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury seeks volunteers

SAN JOSE – Applications are now being accepted to serve on Santa Clara County’s 2024-25 Civil Grand Jury. The Civil Grand Jury acts as the County's civil watchdog agency, empowered to investigate all facets of county and city government, special districts, and school districts.

The U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment and the California Constitution call for grand juries. The Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury investigates the operations of the various officers, departments and agencies of local government, and is responsible for three main functions: civil watchdog agency, reviewing resident complaints, and filing accusations.

“Serving on the Civil Grand Jury offers residents a unique opportunity to improve the transparency and accountability of their local governments,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.

Residents interested in applying must be 18 years of age or older, U.S. citizens, and residents of Santa Clara County. Persons selected for Civil Grand Jury service must make a time commitment of an average of 25 hours per week for a period of one fiscal year. The term of the 2024-25 Civil Grand Jury will commence on July 1, 2024 and end on June 30, 2025.

Simitian noted that, “In recent years, our Civil Grand Juries have had a real impact. It really is an extraordinary opportunity to make a difference.”

The deadline to submit the online application is March 29, 2024. For inquiries or additional information, please contact Britney Huelbig, Deputy Manager for the Civil Grand Jury, at 408-882-2721 or [email protected].