Do you want to fight for transparency?

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury system needs you more today than ever before. As we have discussed in previous articles, the Civil Grand Jury functions as a watchdog overseeing both county and city government actions, as well as lack of actions.

Today, the COVID pandemic has changed how our county and city governments function. No longer are the majority of the of county and city government actions discussed in an in-person forum. Instead, discussions most likely occur using online tools such as Zoom and Google Meet. While the public is always invited to participate in these online meetings, they can present challenges to some citizens who have limited computer equipment and/ or skills.

While online meetings are a definite help for minimizing the spread of COVID, they lead to a lack of transparency. Over time, county and city governments tend to limit the sharing of information, using the excuse that too much public input negatively affects efficiency. In other words, they become nontransparent. Online meetings make it much easier for our government entities to become nontransparent.

What are your thoughts on how transparent our government entities are? Do you feel that the county and cities are upfront and more than willing to share information with us? Do you believe that the amount of information shared is at an acceptable level? Do you believe that nonperformance issues are shared at the same rate as “we did great issues”? Do you feel that the county and cities have opened their informational files for public review?

So what can the private citizen do if they feel their county or cities are becoming nontransparent? Can you walk into a county or city office and just ask for program performance and/or financial information? The short answer is no. As a tax-paying citizen in this county, you have very little right to the information the county and cities have within their doors.

There are really only three approaches one can take. You always have the right to hire a lawyer and take action against the county or city for information. Of course, this most likely will be in the courts for some time and cost you many dollars. A second option would be to file a Freedom of Information Request and wait for the bureaucracy to respond, if at all.

So what is your third option? It is your Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury. It has the ability to investigate all county and city functions. It can call any employee within these entities and interview them for the facts. It can request documentation from these entities, and if necessary, subpoena that information. In accordance with California law, it can publish a detailed report of its findings and recommendations directly to the public. Most importantly, it is made up of every day citizens, just like you.

Let’s say you are one of those Humboldt County citizens who believes that county and/or city governments are becoming too nontransparent; and you feel county citizens have the right to more factual information than is being shared. You are a prime candidate for becoming a civil grand juror. It does not matter if you are a doctor, lawyer, teacher, accountant, truck driver, fisherman, student, or unemployed. If you are over 21 years old, in good standing with the law, you are eligible to serve on the Civil Grand Jury.

Here is what you need to do in the next month or two. Fill out an application to become a civil grand juror by going to the county website and clicking on “Grand Jury” under Helpful Links. Do not worry if you are not sure you want to pursue this action now or not. Your application will be held on file for a year or more. Once the Superior Court is ready to seat a new Civil Grand Jury, you will be contacted and asked it you are still interested. At that time you can ask the Court all the questions you may have. Your only commitment is the 15 minutes it takes to fill out an application.

What are you waiting for? If you want more transparency, you need to become transparent yourself.