Civil grand jury
Definition
A civil grand jury is a body of ordinary citizens, one per county, convened annually in California to investigate the operations of local government agencies and, when warranted, recommend removing officials for misconduct. It is separate from a criminal grand jury.
Why it matters
Civil grand juries are among the few bodies with subpoena-like authority to demand documents and interview officials specifically to check whether local government is functioning honestly and efficiently. Their reports are advisory: the agency criticized must respond publicly, yet nothing forces it to actually fix the problem found.
Seen in the wild
Each of California's 58 counties convenes a civil grand jury every year to investigate any local officer, department, or agency of its choosing.1 Under Penal Code Section 933(c), a governing body must respond to the jury's findings within 90 days, and an individual elected official within 60 days, but the jury has no power to compel any actual change.2