Some Jurors Feel County’s Appreciation Week Not Enough

Line dancing? No thanks. Magic show? Bah humbug. Music Center tour? What for?

Los Angeles County’s earnest efforts to thank citizens who dragged themselves to court to perform their civic duties during Juror Appreciation Week failed to win over Judith Serafim.

Wedged onto a bench, breathing in the snack shop smell of greasy pizza as she fiddled with a crossword puzzle, Serafim offered a plea for a more modest thank-you: “All I would like to see,” she said, “is a place for everyone to sit down.”

Even as judges and lawyers lined up for a morning news conference to tout their achievements in reforming the jury system, jurors shuffled glumly through a jammed corridor at the Downtown County Courthouse--none too impressed at the much-hyped improvements.

“It’s not really any better,” said Charles Eldridge, who endured an hourlong commute from Downey to wait for the call to join a jury panel. “It’s just the same old thing.”

In fact, court officials can point with pride to some definite achievements since launching a 10-point jury improvement drive last year.

Most important, they have installed an automated phone system that lets citizens postpone jury duty or seek excusal without ever having to talk to a human being. The result has been stunning: Whereas a year ago, 95% of callers got busy signals for hours as they tried to reschedule jury duty, now only 1% run into problems, said Assistant Presiding Judge Robert W. Parkin.

By next year, Parkin said, the court will have an automated system to allow citizens to pick the time and place of their jury service, where feasible. Theoretically, at least, jurors like Serafim and Eldridge would be able to request assignments to courts nearer their homes, avoiding the headaches of rush-hour traffic and the downtown parking crunch.

The court has already set up a reminder system to nudge more jurors into actually showing up at the correct time and place. Perhaps in response to those reminder calls--or perhaps in fear of a new law threatening no-shows with a $1,500 fine--more citizens are responding to summons for jury service than ever before. About 78% of those contacted by the court so far in this fiscal year responded, compared with 63% the previous year and just 52% the year before that.

“There’s still much to be done,” Parkin said. “We realize that. But considering it’s only been one year [since the improvement program was launched], we feel we’ve made tremendous progress.”

Progress, perhaps. But tremendous? Not for those downtown.

Jurors flipping through newspapers, sipping cafeteria coffee, or leaning blankly against courthouse walls downtown Monday just weren’t buying it. While they applauded the new telephone system, several said it would take more than a one-step rescheduling process to make them feel good about jury duty.

They wanted chairs to relax in, a speeded-up selection process, perhaps even anonymity so they wouldn’t have to rattle off their names, workplaces and other personal information in front of accused criminals. Instead, they got the free goodies of Juror Appreciation Week: coupon books downtown, a magic show at the Lancaster courthouse, dancing lessons in Norwalk, fire safety tips in Santa Monica.

In West Covina, however, jurors were happy enough with a hot dog and potato salad lunch and a goody bag, filled with an area map, restaurant coupons, pencils advertising local businesses and cosmetics samples of body lotion or perfume.

Citrus Municipal Court officials had originally planned for judges themselves to show their appreciation Monday by barbecuing a noon meal for jurors. Although only a few judges actually came to grill, and even then only for an obligatory turn of a hot dog, jurors were pleased to find there was such a thing as a free lunch.

“I thought they were kidding when they said they were giving us hot dogs,” said Jay Watkins, 73, of Glendora. “But I feel appreciated, you bet!”

Then again, at Citrus, jurors spoke from either a sun-filled courtyard or a pleasantly cool, TV-equipped, carpeted jury room with comfortable chairs. Downtown, there was a different story.

“I’m really upset,” said Valerie Williams, a prospective juror in ripped jeans and a white T-shirt who failed to snag a chair in the early morning rush. “We’re doing a service as U.S. citizens, and it should be very convenient for us, very comfortable.”

A Postal Service worker, Williams said she had been trying since April 29 to fulfill her obligatory 10 days of jury service. Instead of serving consecutive days, she found herself following an arbitrary schedule assigned by the court--keeping her on the hook for a lot longer than she had hoped.

“I’m never going to do jury duty again,” Williams said. “I’m going to come in and plead hardship.”

To prevent such hard feelings among the about 6,000 to 7,000 citizens who serve daily on jury duty in the county, court officials are planning other improvements.

They are trying to get more--and nicer--furniture for the bleak jury assembly rooms. They are adding metal detectors to many courtrooms. They are even hoping to cut down on waiting time by putting jurors on call, instead of requiring them to sit in the courthouse day after day.

Of course, the irony of Juror Appreciation Week is that the only jurors who get to celebrate are those whose numbers happened to have come up now.

“It’s a good week to be here,” said Covina resident Myrtle Anderson. “I guess we’ll have to be appreciated [on behalf of] all the jurors.”