One of the higher public services we provide is orientation programs to support excellence in the performance of Marin's Civil Grand Juries. Our current programs are:
Both of these programs are based on our members' jury experiences and the jury experiences of many of our predecessors as distilled in the Marin County Grand Jury Manual which we prepare and maintain for the County.
After the 2008 program, Presiding Judge Verna Adams declared, "You provided a wonderful service to the Court." She stated that it was helpful for the applicants to talk to their peers who had the experience of grand jury service. She expressed that, as a result of the combined efforts of our Orientation Project and the judges' interviews, there is a "supreme quality of new jurors." Judge Adams enthusiastically spoke for all the judges, "We loved it!" Court Executive Officer Kim Turner added, "From the court's perspective, we thought it went extremely well and would like to do it again next year."
Our orientation program for new juries includes seminars on the responsibilities, organization and processes of the Civil Grand Jury, plus introductions to key Marin County officials. Our Program for the 2008-2009 jury included the following:
| Presenter | Subject |
| Roberta Robinson, member 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 (Foreperson) juries | Introduction of New Foreperson Introduction of Judge Verna Adams Introduction of Court Executive Officed, Kim Turner |
| Jeff Skov, member 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 (Foreperson) juries | Introductions of and by New Grand Jurors |
| Patti Baseheart, Aide to the Grand Jury | Administrative Matters |
| Jeanine Michaels, Administrative
Assistant to | Jury Budget |
| Karin Hern, attorney, member 2005-2006, 2006-2007(Foreperson) and 2007-2008 juries | Jury Responsibilities and Authorities per California Penal Code, Required and Permitted Functions |
| Catherine McKown, member 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 (Foreperson) juries and Betty Mattea, member 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 (Foreperson) juries | Organization of the Jury, Overview of Grand Jury Manual, Committees, etc. |
| Marty Miller, member 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 juries | Handling Complaints, Choosing Subjects, Investigations |
| Conrad Kloh, member 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 | Overview of Report Writing |
| Karin Hern, member 2005-2006, 2006-2007(Foreperson) and 2007-2008 juries and Patrick Layne, member 2007-2008 jury | Responses and Continuity, the Marin County Chapter of the California Grand Jurors' Association |
| Roberta Robinson, member 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 (Foreperson) juries and Jan Gross, member 2005-2005 jury | Interviewing |
| Patrick Faulkner, County Counsel | Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest; Opinions from the Attorney General, County Counsel, and District Attorney |
| Panel of Former Grand Jurors | Overview, Helpful Hints, and Suggestions |
| Official | County Department |
| Joseph Spaeth | Public Defender |
| Peter Banning | LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) |
| Joan Thayer | County Assessor-Recorder |
| Matthew Hymel | County Administrator |
| Kenneth Holmes | County Coroner |
| Michael Smith | Treasurer-Tax
Collector/ |
| Chris Godley | Office of Emergency Services Manager |
| Richard Arrow | County Auditor Controller |
| Robert Doyle | County Sheriff |
| Jim Farley | Director, County Department of Cultural and Visitor Services |
| Diane Steinhauser | Transportation Authority of Marin |
| Farhad Mansourian | Director, County Public Works |
| Ed Berberian | District Attorney |
| Larry Meredith | Director, Health and Human Services |
| Charles McGlashan | President, Board of Supervisors |
| Mary Jane Burke | Superintendent,
|
| Dick Spotswood | Political Pundit – Marin IJ columnist |
| Ted Freeman | Former Juror 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, now Mayor of San Anselmo |
The Marin County Grand Jury Manual is a distillation of the experience of over a decade of Marin County grand jury experience into a manual of best practices, incorporating considerable material from the California Grand Jurors' Association's Grand Jury Training Manual. As such it represents a compendium of California civil grand jury best practices. Each sworn juror is provided a copy of the manual for reference during their term of service. The Marin County Grand Jury Manual was updated and expanded in 2008-9 and republished in May 2009. The major sections are: