Welcome to Only in Santa Clara County’s special series on the Civil Grand Jury and its role in our judicial branch and democracy at large. In this episode we are joined by the past Juror Scott Duncan who shares his experience serving on the CGJ and other volunteer opportunities.

The Civil Grand Jury consists of 19 citizens who are volunteering from all over Santa Clara County for 1 year term of public service. As a member of the panel, they play a vital role in holding local government accountable, ensuring that public institutions operate fairly, transparently, and in the best interests of the people they serve. To learn more you can visit https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ, call 408-882-2721 or email cgj@scscourt.org.

**The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is recruiting qualified applicants for the 2026-2027 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. Applications are due March 27, 2026, by 5 p.m., for the one-year term commencing July 1, 2026.

Guest Bio: Scott Duncan is a thirty-year resident of Santa Clara County. Scott has managed three Silicon Valley high-tech companies and is now retired. Now he is now an active volunteer in civic activities, including 18 months as a member of the Civil Grand Jury.

About Only in Santa Clara County (OSCC) is a civic education podcast aimed at demystifying and democratizing the process of local government and civic participation in Santa Clara County--ground zero of system change. OSCC is powered by Dreaming Collaborative, a civic non-profit working at the intersection of culture, technology, and civic life to reimagine the practice of democracy in local government. Visit www.dreamingcollaborative.org to learn more about our work.

Support our work with a donation: https://www.dreamingcollaborative.org/donate

Resources:

1. Civil Grand Jury Website: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ⁠

2. Apply to the Civil Grand Jury: ⁠https://forms.office.com/g/Qv19z2Ny4g⁠

3. Past Civil Grand Jury Reports: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ#GrandJuryReports⁠

4. Who can the Civil Grand Jury investigate in Santa Clara County: (a) All County of Santa Clara Government Operations (b) All Law Enforcement Agencies in Santa Clara County (c) All School Districts: ⁠⁠https://vote.santaclaracounty.gov/school-districts⁠⁠ (d) All 15 cities in Santa Clara County: ⁠⁠https://santaclaralafco.org/cities-and-special-districts/cities-information⁠⁠ (e) All 26 Special District in Santa Clara County: ⁠⁠https://santaclaralafco.org/cities-and-special-districts/special-district-profiles⁠⁠

5. Submit a Confidential Complaint to the Civil Grand Jury: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-division/civil-grand-jury/civil-grand-jury-complaint-form⁠

6. Civil Grand Jury YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmNaolXvmnQ4FfFSjL1dARlsLiKQ-LLsd⁠

7. Civil Grand Jury Instagram @scccivilgrandjury

8. California Courts Self-Help: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/

Music: Spunker by Blue Dot Sessions (https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/271482) Creative Commons License Attribution - Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

*Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976: Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

Welcome to Only in Santa Clara County’s special series on the Civil Grand Jury and its role in our judicial branch and democracy at large. In this episode we are joined by the past Juror Cecilia Deck who shares her experience serving on the CGJ from a journalism and educator perspective.

The Civil Grand Jury consists of 19 citizens who are volunteering from all over Santa Clara County for 1 year term of public service. As a member of the panel, they play a vital role in holding local government accountable, ensuring that public institutions operate fairly, transparently, and in the best interests of the people they serve. To learn more you can visit https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ, call 408-882-2721 or email cgj@scscourt.org.

**The Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara is recruiting qualified applicants for the 2026-2027 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. Applications are due March 27, 2026, by 5 p.m., for the one-year term commencing July 1, 2026.

Guest Bio: Cecilia Deck is a retired journalism educator and former journalist who has lived in San Jose for 30 years.

About Only in Santa Clara County (OSCC) is a civic education podcast aimed at demystifying and democratizing the process of local government and civic participation in Santa Clara County--ground zero of system change. OSCC is powered by Dreaming Collaborative, a civic non-profit working at the intersection of culture, technology, and civic life to reimagine the practice of democracy in local government. Visit www.dreamingcollaborative.org to learn more about our work.

Support our work with a donation: https://www.dreamingcollaborative.org/donate

Resources:

1. Civil Grand Jury Website: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ⁠

2. Apply to the Civil Grand Jury: ⁠https://forms.office.com/g/Qv19z2Ny4g⁠

3. Past Civil Grand Jury Reports: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/CGJ#GrandJuryReports⁠

4. Who can the Civil Grand Jury investigate in Santa Clara County: (a) All County of Santa Clara Government Operations (b) All Law Enforcement Agencies in Santa Clara County (c) All School Districts: ⁠⁠https://vote.santaclaracounty.gov/school-districts⁠⁠ (d) All 15 cities in Santa Clara County: ⁠⁠https://santaclaralafco.org/cities-and-special-districts/cities-information⁠⁠ (e) All 26 Special District in Santa Clara County: ⁠⁠https://santaclaralafco.org/cities-and-special-districts/special-district-profiles⁠⁠

5. Submit a Confidential Complaint to the Civil Grand Jury: ⁠https://santaclara.courts.ca.gov/divisions/civil-division/civil-grand-jury/civil-grand-jury-complaint-form⁠

6. Civil Grand Jury YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmNaolXvmnQ4FfFSjL1dARlsLiKQ-LLsd⁠

7. Civil Grand Jury Instagram @scccivilgrandjury

8. California Courts Self-Help: https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/

Music: Spunker by Blue Dot Sessions (https://app.sessions.blue/browse/track/271482) Creative Commons License Attribution - Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

*Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976: Allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.