About us

Our mission

The Civil Grand Jury scrutinizes the conduct of public business of county government. The function of the Civil Grand Jury is to investigate the operations of the various officers, departments and agencies of the government of the City and County of San Francisco.

Members and term

The Civil Grand Jury is comprised of 19 members who serve for a period of 1 year, from July through June 30 the following year.

Members are selected at random from a pool of 30 prospective grand jurors. During the term, grand jurors serve a minimum of approximately 500 hours.

Eligibility

By state law, you are eligible if you:

  • are a United States citizen
  • are 18 years of age or older
  • are of ordinary intelligence and good character
  • have a working knowledge of English

How we do it

Each Civil Grand Jury determines which officers, departments and agencies it will investigate during its term of office.

To do this task the grand jury is divided into committees. These committees are assigned to the respective departments or areas which are being investigated. They:

  • Visit government facilities
  • Meet with public officials
  • Develop recommendations for improving City and County operations.

Background

California state law requires that all 58 counties impanel a Grand Jury to serve during each fiscal year (Penal Code section 905, California Constitution, Article I, Section 23).

In San Francisco, the presiding judge of the Superior Court impanels 2 grand juries. The Indictment Grand Jury has sole and exclusive jurisdiction to return criminal indictments.

Submit a complaint

Anyone can submit a written complaint to the grand jury for investigation.

Investigations are at the discretion of the jury. The Civil Grand Jury cannot investigate:

  • Disputes between private parties
  • Criminal activity
  • Activities outside their jurisdiction

2024 - 2025 Civil Grand Jury Roster

  • Michael Edsall Carboy, Foreperson
  • Katherine Blumberg
  • Jill Center
  • Jonathan E. Cowperthwait
  • Phyllis Deets
  • Phoebe Douglass
  • Quang Duong
  • Stan Feinsod
  • Bart Fisher
  • Samuel Fleischmann
  • Juliette Kruse
  • Jorlyn Le Garrec
  • Judy Nadel
  • Connor Owens
  • Cameron Parker
  • Lucy Saldańa
  • Barbara Savitz
  • Nykol'e Taylor
  • Nicholas Weininger