County renews call for people to serve on grand jury

Riverside County residents interested in serving on the county grand jury have one month left to fill out and submit an application.

Superior Court officials began recruiting prospective jurors at the first of the year and are still in need of qualified applicants to fill slots on the 19-member civil grand jury, which is in session year-round, investigating citizen complaints about government agencies and conducting inquiries of its own.

Applications are due on March 29. The next grand jury will be in session from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2020.

Applicants must complete a background check, and those prospects who pass muster will then be interviewed by members of a selection committee. That panel will submit 25-30 names for nomination by a judge.

According to court officials, every effort is made to seat jurors from all areas of the county to ensure fair representation.

To be considered, an applicant must:
— be an American citizen;
— be at least 18 years old;
— be a county resident for at least a year;
— have “sound judgment and fair character”;
— speak English;
— be available for up to four meetings a week;
— not currently be serving as a trial juror;
— not be an elected official; and
— have no felony convictions.

Jurors are not salaried but do receive a small per diem payment — $25 per hour if a hearing lasts a minimum of four hours, and $15 per hour for less time — to cover expenses. There is also compensation for travel.

Applications can be completed online at http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/ . Users need to select the “Divisions” tab on the court homepage and navigate to the grand jury application. Paper applications may also be requested and will be mailed to those who are interested, officials said.

Court Executive Office staff are available to answer questions at (951) 777-3644.