Staff Report

The Santa Barbara County Superior Court is seeking volunteers for the 2020-21 Civil Grand Jury, Darrel E. Parker, Superior Court executive officer, has announced.

To be considered for service on the Grand Jury, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older, of good character, have been a resident of Santa Barbara County for at least one year, and have never been convicted of a felony or malfeasance in office.

Principal functions of the Grand Jury include investigation and review of the departments and special districts of county and city government; involvement in fiscal or management audits; and the preparation of reports on related matters. Reports are then filed with recommendations for improvement of operations.

Service on the Grand Jury is for a period of one year, running July 1 through June 30, and usually involves about 25 hours per week. Service on the Grand Jury is a big sacrifice of time; however, it is an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of government, while providing a valuable service to the community.

Applications for the 2020-21 Grand Jury can be obtained from the court’s Jury Services office in Santa Barbara, 805-882-4530, or Santa Maria, 805-614-6464, or downloaded from the court’s website, www.sbcourts.org.

Applications should be submitted to: Santa Barbara Superior Court, Jury Services, 1108 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101 no later than Friday May 1. The new Grand Jury will begin July 1 and serve through June 30, 2021.