MCCGJA NewsPage

April 2013

President's Report

President Mike Chernock, reports: 

This month I will call my report, "THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE MCCGJA."

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that most, if not all grand jurors’ association chapters in the State, are in a never ending struggle to entice membership. Chapter Boards constantly scramble to balance the services offered by a Chapter against the number of members who are both willing and able to deliver those services. And yet, no matter what the head count or energy level of our individual Chapters in any given year, the work somehow (seemingly miraculously) manages to get done… and done well! Marin is no exception to that rule and, even though I'm an odds-on favorite to embarrass myself and miss someone noteworthy, I'm going to have to risk it to highlight this year's unsung heroes of the MCCGJA.

Since everyone's contribution is equally appreciated (and I'm a coward), I will list Chapter heroes in alphabetical order rather than in level of support:

• Al Lozano - comes to virtually every meeting and keeps me honest on every detail. (No, that's a good thing - REALLY!). One of the first things I scan for at our membership meetings is that beret!
• Ann Marie Melanephy - "Social Annie" as her e-mail states, is the go-to gal for setting up Chapter (and MCCGJA Regional) meetings - especially if they are to be held at McInnis Park. You might errantly conclude that the process to set up meetings takes little more than a phone call or two but you would be massively mistaken. The details to pull off a good event are legion. If you don't think so, just come over and review my e-mail ramp-up just prior to every meeting.
• Betty Mattea - Board mentor and official (and unofficial) advisor. There isn't much about the workings of the Chapter (or the GCJA for that matter) that she doesn't know. I could expound for pages regarding the quality of her solicited and advisory support but I think our e-mail salutations say it all: I have taken to addressing my e-mails to Betty as "Dear Sensei" and signing them "Grasshopper."
• Brad Breithaupt - the Political Editor of the Independent Journal has been an amazing cheerleader for the Civil Grand Jury. By my count, the IJ has printed over 45 articles concerning the reports generated by the 2011-2012 Civil Grand Jury alone. Talking to other civil grand juries, it is clear that we have a real leg up by having that kind of full support from the local media. I thought long and hard before I mentioned Brad - not wanting to compromise or bias his position in any way - but then I realized that his support is strongly for the Grand Jury System but not necessarily for all our reports. When he disagrees, his support of the system does not inhibit his blasting us and pointing out the errors of our ways. And that's the way it should be! He plays the role of our conscience as well as he plays the role of cheerleader - and we need and appreciate both roles.
• Brant Miller - the best "nit-picker" I know. That may seem like a degrading characterization until you realize that, because of the nitty-gritty nature of his finance investigation during his seated Jury year, he was the obvious go to person to head the Chapter's annual financial review. Even when I offered to personally pay the errant $5.00 on our books that took so long to find, he opted to stick with it until he found the error - because that's the way he rolls! And, oh yes, he DID find the $5.00.
• Catherine McKown - Has anyone not been taught Grand Jury orientation concepts by Catherine? No one I have talked to can remember when she has not been our mentor. Catherine is still here this year and has already corralled a team to orient the 2013-2014 Marin Civil Grand Jury. In spite of all her experience, she is still open to tweaking the curriculum and this year several innovations will be tried and evaluated (such as carrying a single theoretical topic from start to completion to show the new jurors the complete genesis of an investigation). Catherine is also one of the spark plugs of the recruiting process and was able to teach even me how to interview for potentially successful new jurors.
• James Murad - If I were surrounded in a gun fight, Jim is the kind of guy know I would turn around and find that he was there covering my back. As a lawyer he has made himself interpreter of the policies and guidelines and as such, keeps me honest. He has also done a number of other generous things that make me admire him greatly, but he would be very upset if I outed his generosity.
• John Carapiet - As secretary and advisor, John has been on the Board much longer than most of us. John is versatile and always willing to take on new tasks. Next year it is likely that he and Linda Glasscock will be exchanging the Treasurer and Secretary positions.
• Judy Chapman – Directors-at-large tend to be non-descript jobs but not for Judy. As one of the spark plugs representing the Civil Grand Jury at the annual Senior Faire, her efforts always garner a significant number of jury candidates for the upcoming year. There is so much more that I could add but I don't have nearly enough column space to do her justice.
• Karin Hern - Karin not only has a long Civil Grand Jury CV in Marin but she is also very active representing Marin's interests on the Board of the California Civil Grand Jurors' Association.
• Linda Glasscock - Linda took on the Treasurer's job as a favor when we lost our first treasurer to illness and has done a yeo"wo"mens job maintaining our finances. It's not that we have a lot of money, mind you, but we do have a lot of rules about spending what little we have. She has taken the steep learning curve in stride and has totally clean books to prove it.
• Owen Haxton - It is hard to forget that Owen is not on the Board.  He quit his position on the CGJA to focus completely on Chairing the recruiting efforts for the MCCGJA. Owen works on the principle of "personal touch" and it is not unusual for me to get 60+ FYI copies of individually addressed, personalized e mails to members and potential members. Owen has also mastered the art of advising me on issues while leaving me with the impression that I actually thought up the solution myself.
• Patti Church Baseheart - Once again, when comparing Marin to other counties, our Administrative Aide to the Civil Grand Jury stands out as another shining reason why we are a flagship Chapter (and flagship Civil Grand Jury). Patti has an amazing knack for keeping the jury at arm's length while simultaneously being there for the foreperson and jury - many times even before they know they need help. As a juror, foreperson and Chapter President, I can't remember making a request for help or counsel that wasn't met with a competent and immediate "yes."
• Rich Treadgold - After many discussions around the state and locally, it became crystal clear to me that a most important factor that makes or breaks the Chapter's ability to support the seated Civil Grand Jury is the relationship the Chapter creates with the current foreperson. As this year's foreperson, Rich quickly recognized the potential "win" for his Grand Jury that could come from a good creative relationship with the local Chapter. In addition, Rich skillfully walked the necessary line between separation from and integration with the seated jury and local Chapter. In our case the relationship quickly generated into a mutual personal trust - something which allowed us to be honest and to express our true opinions on all interactions as well as add productive innovations. Of course he did threaten to subpoena me from time to time but that is a story for another time!
• Sterling Harwell et al - Sterling is the current chair of the Communications Technology Committee, responsible for maintaining our Website, which was created by Gene Dyer, Irwin Taranto, and Dennis Brown over 10 years ago. He has a dedicated group of members who do everything they can to keep the Chapter transparent and the members completely informed of all issues. Sterling has been around for a long time and is not afraid to speak his mind. That is as it should be. Dedicated people like Sterling and his committee keep us grounded and aware of our rich heritage - especially those of us new to the Chapter.
• Beate Boultinghouse, Dan Mufson - Although I've taken a little heat for spending too much time talking to folks outside the Marin Chapter, I would be remiss if I didn't at least respond with how much I've learned from the time I've spent with other Chapters. Foremost among my outside mentors would, hands down, be Beate and Dan. Beate resides in San Francisco and Dan in Napa. Their support of me personally and the Marin Chapter in general was legion this year. On a personal note, they built me up when I was down and beat me down when I got too big for my britches. They took on the Implementation Review Project (a topic near to the hearts of many of Marin's ex jurors) and helped bring State IR guidelines to fruition. Dan taught me that if I write a complaint, I almost automatically get put on a CGJA committee to fix the problem. Beate taught me how incredibly valuable it is to have a third-party sounding board when you need to work through an issue. For those of you who haven't thought about it lately, when it comes to Civil Grand Jury service the lifetime friendships you make are, in and of themselves, worth the price of admission!
• General Members of the MCCGJA - And last, but by no means least, I must recognize the general membership of unsung heroes. If I've learned anything in these three years it's that there are no wimps on Civil Grand Juries. As a rule, for every ten MCCGJA members we question we will elicit ten different ideas about how things should be done. That is the fodder that makes for graying the hair of Chapter presidents (if they had any to start with) but it's also the principle that makes us strong! The Civil Grand Jury may have been around since the Magna Carta but it is still a tenuous democratic institution that is under attack from every source that loathes oversight. It is only through the creative commitment of our citizens that we maintain the right to sustain this institution. So it is with Chapters. Membership in the MCCGJA cost each of us one or more years of our lives. The chapter will only survive when our year-long commitment continues in service into succeeding years. We need everyone with the passion to help.

 Respectfully submitted:

Grand Jury Report

Foreperson Rich Treadgold reports:

[This space reserved for Marin County Civil Grand Jury reports]

Committee Reports

Bylaws & Policies and Procedures Committee

Board Liaison and Chair, James Murad, reports:

[This space reserved for Bylaws & Policies and Procedures Committee reports]

The other member of the committee is Sterling Harwell.

Communications Technology Committee

Chair Sterling Harwell reports:

Our committee met in April to discuss the current status of our Website and some of our other activities.  Some of the key issues discussed were:

• Need for new committee members to backstop and/or replace current ones
• Need to address the growing storage space required by our Website and it's growing cost to the Chapter. We hope this will be addressed by the Board and committees in the next term.

*     *     *     *     *

We remind all Marin County Civil Grand Jurors and Chapter Members that we are available to coach you in digital skills: computer, photography, scanners, etc.

And don't forget our TechTips are posted on our Website. Just go to the TechTips button in the Members Area.

--Sterling Harwell

Continuity Committee

Excellence in Reporting Committee

Financial Review Committee

Membership Committee

Chair, Owen Haxton reports:

The Annual Reunion/Membership Meeting was a resounding success. Almost all of the more active Chapter members were there. In addition there was one Grand Juror from the 1981 Jury and two from the 1995 Jury (now that is dedication!). There were also five CGJA members from four nearby counties in attendance.

But it is time to get into the present and look forward to next year. Chapter leadership has laid out an ambitious program to 1) address responses to reports of the Grand Jury and 2) to develop an approach or process if you prefer, that will enable Chapter members of past Grand Juries to address public issues of their choosing without impacting in any way upon the currently sitting Regular Grand Jury’s areas of responsibility or interest. This may be relatively easy but will require a very delicate approach to the subjects selected. To this end your help is needed. Assuming you are interested in continuing to have an impact on local government, join the Chapter and come on aboard.

The Membership also approved a revision of membership policy that enables you to choose a multiple-year commitment at a reduced cost than if you renew each year. Many of those who came before have renewed one year at a time for more than ten years. Well perhaps some. Chapter annual dues remain at $20 per year. This year however, if you choose to join for multiple years, it is $15 per year. A salesman would tell you this represents a saving of 25%. In addition the Membership has established the “Forever” member category with one time dues of $150. Yes that is a lot more than $20. You will be telling yourself that each year as you write a check for $20 assuming the Membership does not find it necessary to raise dues at some point in the future. If $150 does not break the budget, it is a good long term decision. And again the Marin Chapter is leading the way.

You can find a membership application by clicking here. Or, you can wait and you will be receiving an application via email sometime this month.
Remember if you have questions feel free to email me at hornet5@pacbell.net or call 415 883 3275.

Other members of the committee are Linda Classcock, Board Liaison, and Sterling Harwell.

Nominations & Election Committee

Board Liaison and Chair, James Murad reports:

Other members of the committee are Linda Glasscock and Betty Mattea, Advisor.

Orientation & Training Committee

Chair Catherine McKown reports:

Public Issues Committee

Public Outreach Committee

Social Committee

Chair, Ann Marie Melanephy reports:

[This space reserved for Social Committee reports]

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Member News

Roberta Robinson

Betty Mattea reports:

Kudos to Roberta Robinson

At the recent Tuesday Board of Supervisors' meeting, Roberta Robinson was honored as one of two "outstanding volunteers of the year" for work with the Financial Abuse of Seniors Team (FAST) part of the Health and Human Services Dept., Department on Aging. Roberta, a Grand Jury alum, said that her work with elders, helping them to avoid financial abuse has been very gratifying - right up there with her year as Foreperson of the 2007-2008 Grand Jury.

--Betty Mattea

Gail and I went to one of Roberta’s presentations and concur with the Supervisors that they are a great public service.

--Editor

published May 8, 2013

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