Civil Grand Jury
Functions of the Civil Grand Jury
As required by the California Constitution, the Civil Grand Jury is a “watchdog” that investigates the operations of the City and County government, including its officers, departments, and agencies.
The Civil Grand Jury is comprised of 19 members randomly drawn from a pool of applicants who volunteer to serve for a one-year term, from July 1 through June 30 of the following year.
Each Civil Grand Jury determines, by supermajority vote, which issues related to the government of the City and County of San Francisco to investigate. The grand jury is free to choose its methodology. Typically, the grand jury is divided into committees, which carry out the investigations and write the reports.
During their investigations, the grand jury may review records and financial documents; interview City and County department heads, elected officials, staff, and others who may have pertinent information; inspect government facilities; and then issue reports with findings and recommendations. The entire Civil Grand Jury votes to approve the final reports.
After the Presiding Judge of the Superior Court determines the grand jury’s reports meet legal requirements, the reports are issued to the appropriate department heads. The grand jury reports are then released to the public. Responses to each finding and recommendation contained in the reports are required by law. The Board of Supervisors then holds a public hearing on each of the grand jury reports.
The Civil Grand Jury meets in closed session* weekly, on Mondays from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Meetings take place at San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. Committee work is scheduled as needed, during regular business hours.
Persons selected for Civil Grand Jury service must commit to a minimum of 10 hours per week. This time commitment may fluctuate depending on the grand juror’s role on the panel and the time of year.
* Per California Penal Code Section 891, grand jury proceedings are confidential. Members of the public are not allowed to listen or observe civil grand jury meetings.
To volunteer for Civil Grand Jury service, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen
- At least 18 years of age
- A resident of the City and County of San Francisco for at least the past 12 months
- Able to communicate in English
You are ineligible for grand jury service if you:
- Are an elected public official
- Have a felony conviction
- Are currently serving on a trial jury
We are accepting applications for the 2024-2025 Civil Grand Jury through May 10, 2024.
Please print and complete the application found here: 2024-2025 Civil Grand Jury Application
Email your completed application and resume to: cgrandjury@sftc.org
Qualified applicants will be invited to participate in selection. During selection, a panel of Superior Court Judges will interview each applicant and recommend the most qualified to be part of the pool from which the Civil Grand Jury’s 19 members will be randomly selected.
The 2024-2025 Civil Grand Jury will attend training in June, take office on July 1, 2024, and serve through June 28, 2025.
Register a Complaint or Concern with the Grand Jury
To register a complaint, or submit a suggestion for an investigation, please complete the Citizen Complaint Form and mail too:
San Francisco Civil Grand Jury
400 McAllister Street, Room 008
San Francisco, CA 94102
All communication with the Civil Grand Jury is confidential, as are all its investigations.