What We Do
We provide the general public with information and educational materials and activities on the California Civil Grand Jury system that will help increase public awareness of the valuable role the civil grand jury plays in our democratic system of government.
We provide comprehensive training on all subjects relative to empaneled civil grand juries available to all 58 counties within California including civil grand jury training as well as specific workshops on key topics relevant to civil grand jury service.
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Civil Grand Jury Resources
Here you can find sample documents, templates, examples of well-written reports, links to local government resources,
and FAQs.
Our Annual Conference
Every year in the fall, CGJA holds an Annual Conference and Membership Meeting to provide an opportunity for members and civil grand jurors to meet and discuss experiences and hear from speakers and panels on relevant topics of interest.
Chapter Resources
Includes chapter resource documents, suggested activities for chapters, guidance for forming a chapter along with templates.
Get Involved
Join CGJA as an active member, volunteer for CGJA, become a civil grand juror, join a chapter, or support us through a tax deductible donation.
Grand Jurors' Journal
This bimonthly journal is a major source of information about the civil grand jury system and recent updates on CGJA activities of interest to our members.
CGJA and California's Civil Grand Jury System
Learn about CGJA and details about California’s unique system of civil grand juries.
Our Awards
Annual awards recognizing civil grand jury reporting and media coverage along with the Angelo Rolando Service Award.
We can help you become
an effective civil grand juror
CGJA conducts training seminars for civil grand jurors and alternates on their various civil functions. These seminars include twelve full hours of presentations and over 300 pages of training materials. Experienced and highly qualified trainers who have served as civil grand jurors or grand jury legal advisors present these programs locally, throughout the state as “onsite” seminars or via Zoom if Covid-19 restrictions exist.
We also conduct Foreperson and Pro Tem Workshops, Legal Advisors’ Workshops, and Report Writing Workshops.
Stay Updated with Civil Grand Jury News
www.kclu.org/2026-06-25/new-report-calls-for-more-enforcement-of-fireworks-use-by-the-public-in-v...
Ventura County Civil Grand Jury Report
Here and Now
California Coast News
New report calls for more enforcement of fireworks used by the public in Ventura County
KCLU | By Lance Orozco
Published June 25, 2026 at 2:05 PM PDT
Illegal fireworks seized by Oxnard Police.
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury says additional laws are needed, and public safety agencies need to improve enforcement coordination.
With the Fourth of July just around the corner, a new grand jury report says Ventura County and its cities should be doing more to regulate the public use of legal and illegal fireworks.
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury is calling for the county and cities that don’t have host liability ordinances to create them. The ordinances could help discourage the use of home fireworks.
Ventura, Oxnard, and Fillmore have host liability ordinances, but other cities in the county don’t.
The grand jury also says there needs to be more coordination among public safety agencies over fireworks enforcement.
Public use of fireworks is illegal in Ventura County except in the City of Fillmore. So-called “safe and sane” fireworks can be purchased there, but they must be used within the city limits.
New report calls for more enforcement of fireworks used by the public in Ventura County
www.kclu.org
The Ventura County Civil Grand Jury says additional laws are needed, and public safety agencies need to improve enforcement coordination.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Sacramento County Civil Grand Jury 2025-2026 compliance report on county foster youth from a 2023-2024 report.
Sacramento's foster youth system doing better, but still needs work, grand jury states
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The Sacramento County Civil Grand Jury has released a follow-up report looking at the county's response to its foster youth. While the Grand Jury found that Child Protective Services had made great st...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Sonoma County Grand Jury News
The article references a 2025 Sonoma County GJ report about North Bay Animal Services.
kymkemp.com/2026/06/29/no-one-is-checking-inside-californias-unregulated-animal-rescue-system/
Readheaded BlackBelt
June 29, 2026, 12:07 am
By Lisa Music
Animal Control personnel appear to be inspecting dogs remaining at Miranda’s Rescue while investigators continue executing a multi-agency search warrant elsewhere on the property when HCSO served a warrant last Tuesday. Photo by Mark McKenna.
In the article about a Humbodlt County shelter, the aurhor provides the following:
More recently, North Bay Animal Services — a Petaluma-based nonprofit that held contracts to operate shelters across multiple Sonoma County cities and in Lake County — became the subject of a 2025 Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury investigation. The grand jury confirmed that a lack of city oversight was allowing the organization to operate in violation of applicable laws and contract terms, and found that even the organization’s own board of directors was not providing meaningful oversight. When the Lake County contract ended in February 2026, the incoming operator found 114 dogs in what officials described as deplorable and inhumane conditions — animals in crates 24 hours a day, without adequate food, water, or medical care.
No One Is Checking: Inside California’s Unregulated Animal Rescue System
kymkemp.com
This in-depth report examines how California’s animal rescue system relies on private rescues with little mandatory oversight, why shelters depend on them, and what the Miranda case reveals about th...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Upcoming PSA for Montery and Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Jurors.
KSQD.org
On Monday, June 29, 6 to 7 p.m., jurors from Monterey and Santa Cruz County Civil Grand Juries report on their year of investigating local governments and agencies. They'll present their recommendations on pedestrian safety, election integrity, improving gaps in emergency phone coverage, seawater intrusion, booking procedures at the jail, and closing the gap between housing plans and production. Get a first-hand summary of citizen involvement in making elected officials and staff accountable to the public trust. Program host Joe Truskot moderates individuals with extensive involvement in this year's reports in a lively discussion of democracy in action.
That's 6 to 7 p.m., Monday, June 29, on KSQD Santa Cruz, KSQT Prunedale, 90.7 FM Santa Cruz, 89.7 FM Monterey Salinas Watsonville, 89.5 FM Carmel Valley and Salinas Valley; streaming live at ksqd.org.
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stocktonia.org/news/local-government/2026/06/25/stockton-city-council-turmoil-has-become-a-govern...
San Joaquin County Grand Jury Report-Stockton City Council
A new San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury report says Stockton City Council’s public infighting, leadership instability and failure to fully address past oversight reports have weakened city governance and distracted officials from serving residents.
The civil grand jury’s 2025-26 annual report, released this week, includes an investigation into Stockton’s City Council titled “Governance in Turmoil.” The report describes a pattern of dysfunction at City Hall, not just one isolated issue or dispute.
The findings follow a turbulent year marked by leadership changes, public clashes among councilmembers and repeated disputes between Mayor Christina Fugazi and Vice Mayor Jason Lee, both on and off the dais.The civil grand jury is a panel of residents that reconvenes with new members yearly to investigate local government and reports on misconduct, inefficiency or mismanagement.
This most recent investigation into Stockton City Hall first focused on complaints regarding whether councilmembers violated the Brown Act — California’s open-meeting law — or shared confidential city information. But the civil grand jury said it later found broader problems, including council infighting, money concerns, low staff morale, ethics issues and the city’s failure to fully address past recommendations.
The grand jury did not single out individual councilmembers in its findings, instead directing its criticism at the City Council as a whole. But Stockton residents have watched many of the tensions described in the report unfold publicly over the past year.
The new report builds on continued civil grand jury scrutiny in recent years of Stockton City Hall.
In 2024, the civil grand jury released “City of Stockton: Crisis in Government,” a report that similarly examined public meeting violations, alleged leaks from closed sessions and complaints about a hostile and ineffective work environment inside Stockton city government, making nearly a dozen recommendations for change.
A year later, the civil grand jury found Stockton had adequately addressed five of its previous 11 recommendations, but said six still needed more follow-up. This year’s report says the council’s most recent response last September to the civil grand jury’s previous report addressed only three of those six outstanding recommendations.
The most recent round of controversies at Stockton City Hall escalated in January of last year, after then-City Manager Harry Black abruptly left the city on threat of termination by the new City Council following a shift on the board’s dynamics as a result of the 2024 election. His departure left Stockton without a permanent city manager for much of the year and set off disputes over how the city should be run.
The council soon appointed Steve Colangelo as interim city manager in a controversial 4-3 vote, despite concerns from the community and some councilmembers that he wasn’t qualified for the job, which exacerbated tensions on the council and set off a string of controversies related to Colangelo’s leadership. A longtime events manager, Colangelo had never worked in city management and his resume did not boast education typically required for city manager candidates. It was later revealed through a Stocktinia investigation that Colangelo used public money to hire another longtime city manager from Lathrop as a consultant to help him do his job.
Stockton’s current city manager, Johnny Ford, was appointed to the position permanently to the position November, ending months of uncertainty over who would lead City Hall.
The civil grand jury said the absence of a permanent full-time city manager contributed to a lack of checks and balances in Stockton’s council-manager system of government.
stocktonia.org
Stockton City Council’s public infighting, leadership instability and failure to fully address past oversight reports have weakened city governance, SJ County Civil Grand Jury report says.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury
calcoastnews.com/2026/06/san-luis-obispo-mayor-leaks-confidential-report-would-do-it-again/
By KAREN VELIE
After several community watchdogs discovered that San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart had violated the law when she shared restricted information from the Grand Jury, Stewart responded saying she would do it again.
In 2025, the San Luis Obispo County Grand Jury found that San Luis Obispo had failed to protect its residents from loud and ruckus parties hosted by Cal Poly State University students. In addition. the city also failed to enforce permit requirements for rowdy fraternities while it increased the cost of appealing those permits.
On June 13, 2025, the Grand Jury sent Stewart a copy of the report that included a lengthy list of recommendations and a warning that it was a violation of the law to share the report.
“A grand jury shall provide to the affected agency a copy of the report relating to that person or entity two working days prior to its public release and after the approval of the presiding judge,” the email to Stewart quoted Penal Code 933.05(f). “No officer, agency or governing body of a public agency shall disclose any contents of the report prior to the public release of the final report.”
While grand juries release reports to agencies ahead of time so they can work on their responses, other witnesses and agencies are not permitted to review the reports until publicly released. The email ended with another warning not to share the report.
Even so, Stewart, a long-time Cal Poly employee, shared the report two hours and nine minutes after the grand jury sent it to her.
Stewart texted Courtney Kienow, an employee in Cal Poly’s Office of the President, asking if she knew the report was done. Stewart then shared the report with Cal Poly.
Stewart and Kienow shared 32 texts trashing the grand jury and discussing the report before it was released publicly:
Kienow texted, “Only two pages in and so frustrated.”
Stewart texted, “It is as though some of our local friends wrote it,”
Kienow texted, “I am working on a rebuttal. Problem: Cal Poly is not identified in the report as a required respondent so I don’t believe they intend to share it with us at all before it’s published. Our leadership has not received it.”
Kienow texted, “If she doesn’t send it to me, are you comfortable with me emailing them my corrections based on you sharing it? I will send you what I am proposing.”
Stewart texted, “Happy to share your responses. I have so many problems with the thing as well. Love to chat with you about it. Let me know if you have time this afternoon to chat.”
Kienow texted, “So many people have the advanced copy of the report now… they’ll never know it came from you. Still, greatly appreciate you stepping out for whats right.”
Stewart texted, “So interesting. I told Whitney that I had assumed the university was going to be asked to respond and therefore I gave it to you. So, if it comes up, I am fine with being outed if I have to.”
From June 13 through June 17, SLO City Manager Whitney McDonald and Kienow exchange multiple texts asking what was said in grand jury interviews, to make sure their stories “align.”
On June 23, 2025, the grand jury released the report – “Round & Round with Town & Gown” – 10 days after it was transmitted to the city under a statutory confidentiality order.
In a similar case, Santa Clara City Councilman Anthony Becker was sentenced to 40 days in jail for leaking a draft grand jury report to the San Francisco Forty-Niners, who helped bankroll his political career.
In December 2024, a jury convicted Becker of lying to the Civil Grand Jury when he falsely denied that he leaked its draft report that was critical of Becker, and several of his city council colleagues, for their unethical relationship with the 49ers and for putting the team’s interests above those of the city, a felony.
The jury also convicted Becker of a misdemeanor for violating his duty to not disclose the draft report.
On June 15, Stewart was questioned about releasing the report on the Dave Congalton Show on KVEC. Stewart said she did not break any laws when she shared the report with Cal Poly and that she would do it again.
A resident then called in to Congalton’s show to complain about shoddy inspections by the city. Stewart told the woman to contact city staff and described her job as “cutting ribbons” and setting policy.
San Luis Obispo mayor leaks confidential report, would do it again
calcoastnews.com
By KAREN VELIE After several community watchdogs discovered that San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart had violated the law when she shared restricted information from the Grand Jury, Stewart respond…0 CommentsComment on Facebook
CGJA Journal
This bimonthly journal is a major source of information about the civil grand jury system and recent updates on CGJA activities of interest to our members.
The Gift of Your Time
is Priceless
CGJA is an all-volunteer membership organization. We succeed mainly because our members volunteer to serve on our committees and/or train civil grand jurors. Serving on committees almost never requires travel as we communicate via email and computer video. Our trainers do travel to venues throughout the state and we reimburse them for lodging, mileage, and a modest per diem for other expenses.
