Grand Jury Holds Public Open House

The Ventura County grand jury, which normally conducts its business behind closed doors, threw an open house for the public Tuesday.

Setting a tone distinct from last year’s group, foreman Lloyd Fellows of Ojai said, “We’re a kinder, gentler grand jury than some in the past.”

But that doesn’t mean they won’t be as thorough in reviewing government, said Fellows, 65. He would not comment on specific areas the grand jury planned to investigate, but he said the 19-member group keeps abreast of topical issues.

“If you see it in the newspapers, chances are we’re talking about it,” Fellows said.

The grand jury, a citizens panel appointed by Superior Court judges, indicts criminal suspects, functions as a watchdog over county government and prepares an annual report on its findings. Last year’s panel made news when it criticized county supervisors for what it called excessive perks for some top officials.

Nearly 100 people attended Monday’s two-hour open house in the grand jury’s third-floor suite at the county Government Center in Ventura. Many in the crowd were courthouse and county government insiders, but there were also relatives of jurors, past jurors, political gadflies and a few members of the public.

Fellows, who is a Unitarian minister in Ojai, had his own fan club at the open house.

“He’s our minister and we want to keep him straight,” said Sonia Braverman, 82, who attended the open house with friends Charlotte Snelson, 91, and Blanche Fuller, 86.

The grand jury is made up mostly of retirees who have the time to devote about 40 hours a week to the job and can afford to make only $20 a day. Since they were sworn in early last month, five members have quit because of work commitments or illness.

Michael Fishman, 53, resigned because of a conflict with his job at the California Youth Authority’s Ventura School.