The annual opportunity for citizens to take part in the El Dorado County Grand Jury
process is here. The Grand Jury is an excellent vehicle for committed persons to keep
the government accountable to all our county’s citizens. Applicants must be United
States citizens, at least 18 years of age, cannot currently hold an elected office and
have resided in the County for at least one year at the time of the swearing-in date.

The swearing-in will commence in June of 2025. The Judges of the El Dorado Superior Court shall review all applications and select names from those submitted to be put into the jury pool. This pool will also consist of currently seated grand jurors who have been chosen to be held over from the prior year. Nineteen jurors as well as alternates are then selected in a random drawing from this pool. The random drawing will be held in June of 2025. Jurors are expected to be present for the “draw.” Jurors serve for a period of one year, from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. A mandatory two-day training session, provided by the California Grand Juror’s Association and the County of El Dorado, will take place on June 26, 2025, and June 27, 2025.

The El Dorado County Grand Jury is an investigative body (established in the California State Constitution and Penal Code for all counties) to benefit county citizens by providing oversight relative to the proper and legal operation of public entities. It is an arm of the Superior Court and a representative of the public but operates independently of direct Court supervision. The Grand Jury is a watchdog of governmental action. It is not a branch of the County, nor does the Grand Jury answer to the District Attorney.

The Grand Jury’s goal is to ensure that county, special district, and city governments
are being effectively run. The Grand Jury is NOT a jury for criminal trials. Typically, the Grand Jury looks at systems and processes, although the Jury has no enforcement
authority; it does make recommendations through the publication of a public final report, usually published in June each year. These reports usually receive effective press coverage. Each complaint the Jury accepts for investigation must be investigated thoroughly, seeking out and analyzing the facts prior to writing a report for publication.

The Grand Jury cannot normally resolve or solve emergency situations. This is a time-consuming process and usually takes many months to complete. For a complete
description of the Grand Jury’s duties, as well as past Grand Jury Reports and report
responses, please visit: www.edcgov.us/GrandJury.

Jurors are regularly called upon to confer with government officials and other citizens to gain information and insight concerning matters under investigation. While being a Grand Juror is not a full-time job however, it does require a substantial time commitment. This time commitment includes attendance at full jury and committee meetings, investigating, and preparing written reports. While each year the El Dorado County Grand Jury sets its own meeting schedule, jurors can typically expect to serve between eight and up to thirty hours per week, spread over two or three days.

Investigative committee chairs and the Foreperson often serve more hours per week.
Jurors can certainly take vacations during the session, but periods of absence
exceeding two or three weeks, especially during the second half of the 12-month
session, should be held to a minimum. This civic service is essentially volunteer,
although jury meetings are compensated at the rate of $15.00 per day, and mileage is
compensated at the existing IRS rate (currently $0.70/mile) for miles actually and
necessarily traveled for purposes of grand jury sessions or committee work.

Qualified citizens who have an interest in this unique and rewarding community service are encouraged to download the application at www.edcgov.us/GrandJury, or pick up an application from Court Administration, 2850 Fairlane Court Suite 110, Placerville.

The last date to apply this year is May 4, 2025. Please submit applications online, in
person, or by mail to the El Dorado County Superior Court, 495 Main Street, Placerville, CA 95667, Attn: Cindy Denton, Administrative Assistant. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please call or email Cindy at (530) 621-6495 or cdenton@eldoradocourt.org