They have a verdict: First-timers give thumbs up to serving on Placer County Grand Jury

Serving on the Placer County Grand Jury is "absolutely" rewarding. It also can be "daunting," "overwhelming" and "humbling." It requires a commitment and serves as a great learning experience. So say four first-time Grand Jury members who are eight months into their term. Now that Placer County is taking applications for its next Grand Jury, will these current Grand Jurors who spoke with the Auburn Journal reapply? One already has, one plans to, and another is thinking about it. All would recommend serving. "It's rewarding and very eye-opening, and humbling. And it's daunting," Sharon Watson-Hamilton said. "Everything has a different meaning legally. You have to figure out what it says. So it's a challenge, but I say that all with a smile on my face because it has been rewarding. I'm not a bury-my-head-in-the-sand person. If you think you can make a difference, you should go for it. You have to go into it with passion." The time commitment is 40-50 hours per month, though in Watson-Hamilton's case, "It's really 100 hours a month." She's serving as one of eight committee chairs, which included a learning curve on a computer. "It's a lot more work. You have to get agendas out," she said, adding committee chairs "have a few more dots to check off." Grand Jurors are paid for two full-panel and committee meetings per month and are reimbursed for mileage. Training is paid for. The Grand Jury is seated for a one-year term from July 1 this year through June 30, 2022. There are 19 Grand Jurors on the panel, plus alternates. A remote meet-and-greet session will be held at 10 a.m. March 24 via Zoom, and those interested in applying can contact the Placer County Grand Jury to obtain the link. Another meet and greet is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 6 remotely and in person at the Grand Jury office at 11532 B Avenue in Auburn. Those who are interested can apply online at http://www.placer.courts.ca.gov/general-grandjury-info.shtml. Deadline for applications is May 7. "We're already getting a really great response this year," said Rosalinda Cruz, executive assistant of the Placer County Superior Court. Philip McAvoy also served as a committee chair and agreed the time commitment was more than what he expected due to meetings, research, reading and editing reports and researching complaints from citizens. "It's very fulfilling work. I don't want to discourage folks," said McAvoy, who expects to reapply. "It was rewarding in such that I grew as a person, learning more about other people and their perspectives. Knowing most of the complaints we investigated, I think citizens were appreciative of the efforts we put forth. We're promoting good government, transparency among our publicly appointed officials." Norma Worley of Gold Run applied for the first time and has already reapplied. She said she likes to stay busy "and give back to the county and community." She saw the Grand Jury as something she could help with since she "somewhat knew the system," coming from a criminal justice background in animal welfare. Worley said she was "very excited" to learn of her appointment and became "pretty involved" once she was sworn in. She encourages people to come in with an open mind and bring their job and personal experiences so the jurors "can talk and find out where we're coming from." "We have a lot of different committees dealing with a lot of issues," Worley said. "If you talk long enough, you usually come to an agreement." Granite Bay resident Charlie Vega believes he is "a better person" having served on the Grand Jury. Because he loves to learn (he trained as an engineer and has an MBA) and has learned how "government really works," he said the experience has been rewarding. "I've always been a believer that volunteering is a good thing to do," he said. "If I can learn something, plus make a contribution, that's the best of all worlds." Vega said serving as a Grand Juror takes the right personality and thought process. He considers himself "kind of an A (personality), and I reigned my A in heavily." "The things that surround you in this kind of job vs. other jobs, there are some pretty hard guidelines; these are the rules," he said. "And they do that to protect the integrity of the Grand Jury, the investigative process. You gotta play by the rules; they remind you, training, workshops, handbooks." Vega believes serving on the Grand Jury is "a really good experience for almost everyone," and he's thinking about reapplying. Said Vega, "My grasp of what government really does, not what they say they do, is improved significantly."