Yolo County seeks grand jury candidates
Yolo Superior Court is now accepting applications for the 2021-22 Yolo County grand jury.
Each year, on July 1, the court impanels 19 grand jurors and 11 alternates who serve as an arm of the judicial system, but act as an entirely independent body.
The primary civil function of the grand jury is to review the operations of city and county government as well as other tax supported agencies and special districts. Based on these reviews, the grand jury publishes its findings and may recommend constructive action to improve the quality and effectiveness of local government.
Eligibility requirements for grand jury service are:
Second chances: Yolo courts open doors for two men
Life had not been kind to Brian O’Donnell.
Raised in a turbulent, abusive household, O’Donnell fell into a bad crowd that introduced him to drugs, alcohol and crime at the young age of 12.
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Manuel Palacio, upper right, and Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg, center, listen as Palacio’s wife Beatriz Arizaga, lower center, pleas for his return from Mexico to the United States during a Feb. 3 Zoom court hearing. Courtesy photo
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Life had not been kind to Brian O’Donnell.
Raised in a turbulent, abusive household, O’Donnell fell into a bad crowd that introduced him to drugs, alcohol and crime at the young age of 12.
Yolo courts delay February trials, launch settlement conference program
California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye has signed Yolo Superior Court’s third emergency order, authorizing the court to continue all jury trials set in February to future dates in 2021.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Presiding Judge Daniel P. Maguire said. “We pride ourselves on providing a safe environment in which to handle important public matters. Given current virus transmission rates, it is not now safe to assemble juries, but we will continue to closely monitor public health conditions and resume jury trials when it is practicable.”
Throughout much of the pandemic, Yolo Superior Court has conducted as many jury trials as safely possible, while also taking steps to limit exposure of COVID-19 to the public, agencies, litigants and court staff.
Struggling California Court System Receives $25M in Aid
The pressure applied to the state’s legal system by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced courts to make a number of costly and disruptive operational adjustments. by Darrell Smith, The Sacramento Bee / January 26, 2021 Shutterstock/Alex Staroseltsev
(TNS) California s courts will get another $25 million to tackle COVID-19 case delays, the state s Judicial Council announced Friday.
The infusion is the second half of a $50 million package courts administrators rolled out as part of the state s 2020 Budget Act as local courts large and small navigate the seismic impacts of the pandemic on its daily operations.