The San Diego Central Courthouse, one of the places to pick up a grand jury application. Photo: Gateman1997, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
San Diego County is looking for 19 residents willing to spend a year investigating local government. The Superior Court opened applications for the 2027-2028 San Diego County Grand Jury on Nov. 10, and the deadline is Jan. 8, 2027.
This is the civil grand jury, not the kind that hears criminal cases. According to the court’s announcement, the panel investigates complaints from residents and acts as a watchdog over government agencies in the county. It does not conduct criminal investigations.
That watchdog role covers a lot of ground. Civil grand juries in California can look at the county, its cities, school districts, special districts and joint powers agencies, and they publish their findings in public reports. Under Penal Code section 933, the agencies named in a report have to answer its findings and recommendations in writing, within 90 days for governing bodies and 60 days for elected county officers and agency heads.
Some of the work is required by law. California’s Penal Code section 919 directs grand juries to inquire into the condition and management of the public jails and prisons in their county each year, which is why San Diego’s panel regularly reports on county detention facilities. The rest of its agenda comes largely from the jurors themselves and from complaints residents file.
What the job involves
The commitment is real. Jurors typically work four days a week, about six hours a day, for the full term from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. The court provides a small daily stipend, mileage and downtown parking. The grand jury’s office is at 550 West C St., Suite 860, in downtown San Diego.
Who can apply
Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen.
- Be at least 18.
- Have sufficient knowledge of English.
- Have lived in San Diego County for at least one year before selection.
- Pass a criminal background check.
How to apply
Applications can be downloaded from the court at sdcourt.ca.gov/GrandJury or from the grand jury’s site at sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury, and they can also be submitted online. Paper forms are available by calling 619-450-7272 or at the Central Courthouse and the East County, North County and South County regional centers.
Forms must be received, not just mailed, by Jan. 8. Qualified candidates are nominated into a random drawing, tentatively set for June 4, 2027, that picks the 19 members.
The grand jury’s past reports, and the agencies’ responses to them, are posted on its county website, which is a good place to see what a year on the panel produces. For more on how local government works here, see our guide to who does what on homelessness in San Diego, and the rest of our Local News coverage.
