The 2010-11 Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury was sworn in July 1 by Judge Arthur Garcia in the historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse.
Jury members, who will serve for one year, are Rich Abbott of Montecito, JoAnne Banks of Carpinteria, Barbara Breza of Solvang, James Christensen of Santa Maria, Gerald Corrigan of Santa Barbara, Herman Fogata of Santa Barbara, Travis Gibbons of Santa Maria, Patricia Grigg of Santa Maria, Larry Hansen of Santa Barbara, Gary Johns of Santa Barbara, Gary Keefe of Lompoc, Kathryn McKee of Santa Barbara, Joseph Navarro of Santa Barbara, Pam Olsen of Santa Barbara, Jack Snyder of Santa Barbara, Charles Stauffer of Solvang, Ted Sten of Summerland, Peter van Duinwyk of Santa Barbara and Stephen Weiss of Santa Barbara.
This year’s foreperson is Kathryn McKee, who will lead the 19 citizens from the county, serving as the jury’s liaison to the courts and media.
Each year, a Grand Jury is enlisted to represent the citizens of Santa Barbara County. All 58 counties in California are required by the California Penal Code to have a Grand Jury.
The jury has been labeled the county “watchdog,” looking into complaints received by citizens concerning an aspect of county government. The jurors thoroughly investigate the complaints, with their year culminating in a published final report of the year’s work.
Click here for more information about the Grand Jury’s published reports or for complaint forms.
— Kathryn McKee is a forewoman of the Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury.