In almost every county in California, there is a panel of volunteers known as the civil grand jury. Civil grand juries serve as watchdogs over local government---they investigate, examine and question---then write up their findings in official reports. In any given year, a civil grand jury usually produces three or four in-depth investigations. Typically, people who volunteer for their county's civil grand jury are older; likely retired, with the time and resources to dedicate several hours each week.

But as KRCB's Greta Mart found, here in Sonoma County, there is one current juror who breaks the mold.

MAYRA AGUILAR: My name is Mayra Aguila. I went to Windsor High School; I'm from Windsor. After high school, I went to the community college, Santa Rosa Junior College, for one year and I received my associates [degree] and transferred to UC Berkeley, where I graduated with a political science major. I am currently working as an immigration paralegal for an organization called Vidas in Santa Rosa, they're a nonprofit. And I am currently studying for the LSAT, so I'll be applying to law school this coming fall, to begin next fall.

KRCB NEWS: So we're talking to you because you are a member of the current Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury. How did you hear about it? What interested you....tell me about that whole journey.

AGUILAR: Yes. So, I think it was actually about April or May before graduating, I looked up ways to get involved in Sonoma County since I knew I was coming back, after graduating from school. And I found the civil grand jury and it seemed pretty interesting to me. I decided to apply, it said the minimum age requirement was 18. And what interested me is that we get to keep transparency in our community as well as keep democracy alive in our community.

KRCB NEWS: Okay. And so how old were you when you joined?

AGUILAR: I was 20 years old, I believe I am the youngest civil grand juror in California ever.

KRCB NEWS: It's a non-paid position. It's completely volunteer, correct?

AGUILAR: Yes, it's a volunteering opportunity. However, we do get paid for our mileage, so like going into our meetings. But besides that, it's all volunteers, we don't get paid for our work.

KRCB NEWS: And how many hours per week would you say you spend on doing civil grand jury...stuff?

AGUILAR: So I currently spend about 10 hours a week because I'm only in one investigation. I am working and studying for the LSAT, so I don't want to overcommit myself. But if you're in multiple committees or multiple investigations, it can go up to 20 hours a week.

KRCB NEWS: Tell me, what is that you guys do?

AGUILAR:  We investigate, like I mentioned, local government and that can be schools---districts, that includes cities as well and unincorporated areas of Sonoma County. We have two types of investigation. One is because they're doing an amazing work and we want to shout them out. The other one is because we believe that there's some area that they would benefit receiving advice or ways to better the area that we're looking into. So what we usually do is create a draft to present to the other grand jurors. We get into committees, people who have similar ideas or interests, and once we present them, we come to a vote and once we vote, we go on with the investigation. We do interviews, we write the report, and at the end of the term, we create one big report of everything that we've discovered. We mention facts, findings, and recommendations....ways that they can better whatever area we're researching. And they also have time to respond to the recommendations.

 

KRCB NEWS: Okay. Got it. Can you give us a concrete example of a topic that you've worked on, or is it top secret?

AGUILAR: I mean, as of right now, it is top secret. I can mention previous investigations: they've researched the airport as well as Permit Sonoma. I know those are two of the most popular from last year

KRCB NEWS: What's the reaction from the other folks on [the jury]? Are they surprised to see a young person?

AGUILAR: They are; they were super surprised when they saw me. I remember when we went to the---we had to go in to swear, we were placed under oath by a judge---they were not expecting a 20-year-old to be on the jury with them. But they're actually very happy that I was able to join them. And they've taught me a lot. I've also taught them different things with technology or whatnot. But yeah, I think overall they were surprised and they were super welcoming as well. I feel like more people from different backgrounds and ages should be able to join and become more aware. So I think right now we're trying to find different ways of exposing who we are.

KRCB NEWS: Have you already seen like, "Oh, I think that's gonna be applicable when I get into law school," or something like that?

AGUILAR: Most definitely. I think writing is one of them. Like the way that we write, our writing style will help me for sure in law school. And then also with the interviews, talking to people from all different positions. Being one of the youngest, sometimes it can be a little intimidating interviewing someone that's older than me. So I'm just getting more comfortable with speaking and asking questions to older people, specific tone and matter because I mean, anyone can have a conversation with anyone from a certain age, but I feel like asking them and being direct with questions can sometimes be a little intimidating, but I've gotten more comfortable.

KRCB NEWS: So what would you say to folks who want to learn more, or have never heard of [the civil grand jury], this is the first time they're hearing of it?

AGUILAR: I would definitely say to apply, you don't need to have a educational background, anyone is more than welcome to join. If you want to find a way to get involved in Sonoma County, this is probably the best way to find out what's happening, what's going on. Also, if you have anything that you think would help fix in Sonoma County or an area of interest, this would be the best way to get involved. And the 10 to 20 hours [a week] may sound like a lot, but you break it down among your week, so it honestly doesn't even feel like you're doing a lot of work.