California lawmakers renew push to diversify grand juries, raise pay | CPT PPP Coverage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Every county in California has a grand jury that’s in charge of overseeing city and county operations, like looking into the conditions of a local prison. 

Some lawmakers however, say that grand juries are often lacking diversity—and there’s a renewed push to change that.

San Diego Assemblymember Chris Ward says most people are familiar with the traditional jury system. You get a summon, you show up to court, and if chosen, you will will hear evidence and judge the fate of a case

“But the grand jury is something much obscure, and an often behind the scenes, but plays a significant role in our civic institutions,” Ward said. 

A grand jury is picked once a year on a volunteer basis, and Sacramento residents have until Dec. 30 to apply to be a member.

“They have responsibility for overseeing a lot of operations,” Ward said. “Questions about whether the cities or the county are doing good jobs on certain responsibilities, whether the county jail system is being adequately maintained and properly supported, and other functions that are under the law.”

The pay is only $15 a day, and a year-long commitment. Because of that, Ward said the juries lack diversity. 

“They don’t always reflect the diversity and the demographics of the given county district,” Ward said. 

He said there is no data collected from counties on the makeup of their grand juries. 

“Those that have participated, have found that they can be disproportionately Caucasian, disproportionately much older because right now, not many people know about this, and it tends to attract retirees,” Ward said, adding that he’s grateful for their service.

So he’s attempting for a second time to author a bill, Assembly Bill 78,  which will require counties and court systems to look at diversity metrics, educate and do outreach to inform people that the grand jury exists, and increase the compensation. 

“To up the compensation because we know that’s a barrier for many to be able to participate,” Ward said. “It’s currently just set at $15 per day, not per hour, but per day, and we want to see that elevated to something that doesn’t make it a barrier for more people to be able to participate”

How much does he want to elevate it to?

“I will look at anything that I can get north of $15 per day,” Ward said.

His bill made it through the assembly last session, then made it through several committees in the Senate before it died. He said he’s going to work closely with the senate staff this time around to see what changes he needs to make in order for this to get passed. 

Sacramento residents have until Dec. 30 to apply to be a member of the grand jury. 

San Diego residents only have a few more weeks to apply to be a member of your grand jury.

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