UPDATE, 6:05 p.m.:
We emailed Civil Grand Jury foreperson Jim Glover this afternoon asking for more information, noting that a 2018 press release from the court said:
Beginning this year, the Court implemented a new policy regarding the release of Grand Jury reports during June election years. The policy allows the release of reports until the second Monday in February; reports completed subsequent to that date must be released after the June election.
Is that policy still in place? we asked. And if so, why wasn’t it followed this year?
Glover replied:
That was of great concern to us many months ago. We have a different presiding judge now and the decision was that there would be no blocking of reports because of elections. That might change in the future with yet a different judge, but those are the guidelines we are operating under presently.
Hope that answers your question.
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Original post:
Press release from Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury foreperson Jim Glover:
Yesterday, Thursday, Jun 2, 2022, the Civil Grand Jury issued a final report detailing its investigation into the Auditor-Controller in Humboldt County.
This report is the result of months of interviews and exhaustive research into a topic that is at the forefront of the minds of many in our community, especially so close to the date of local elections.
The Civil Grand Jury is aware that some have questioned the timing of the release of this report, suggesting that it is politically motivated. However, that is not the case. We felt it was our responsibility to investigate this topic that is affecting the lives and livelihoods of members of our community without regard to the question of politics. The timing of our investigation and release of our report were done in consultation with our legal advisors and the Humboldt County Superior Court.
The goal is to better inform the public. This investigation began in August and September of 2021, long before we knew if or when our report might be completed. Once we felt we had done a thorough inquiry into the subject and prepared a report which would give the people of Humboldt County a full and informative picture of the situation, it was reviewed by our legal advisors, as well as the Court, and released in a timeframe similar to any other report we prepare. At no point were the Civil Grand Jury’s actions or decision making informed by politics.
Any questions regarding this process should be directed to the jury in writing for a proper response. There can be no further discussion by the jury regarding the report itself.
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