O.C. Selects a Diverse Grand Jury

Orange County’s new grand jury was selected Wednesday in a random drawing at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

The 19 jurors and 11 alternates will begin their one-year terms July 1 after a seven-day training program, said Carole Levitzky, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Superior Court.

“We are happy with the diverse representation,” Levitzky said of the group, composed of three African Americans, two Asians, two Latinos and 12 whites.

The mix of genders--11 men and 8 women--is also well balanced, Levitzky said. And the age range, from 45 to 72 with an average of 62, is slightly younger than previous grand juries.

The field of 242 applicants was narrowed to 30 through a series of security checks and interviews.

On Wednesday, county officials randomly selected the final members of the body that meets regularly, Levitzky said, to examine “county operations and quality-of-life issues” ranging from sewage spills and beach closures to swimming pool safety and the need for fire sprinklers.

The members of the Orange County Grand Jury for 2002-03 are Anne Brown of Fullerton; Lawrence Callahan of Garden Grove; Tao-Han Chang of Yorba Linda; Patricia Coakley of Villa Park; Christina Deaton of Balboa Island; Jeffrey Hamilton of Santa Ana; Ronald Harris of Mission Viejo; Margaret James-Edwards of Garden Grove; Jerry Krans of San Clemente; Deepak Mehta of Orange; William Nelson of Villa Park; Carlos Olvera of Dana Point; Marcia Rubin of Irvine; Viola Sadler of Anaheim; Gerald Schamahorn of Huntington Beach; Louis Schulte of Santa Ana; Elizabeth Spencer of Garden Grove; Allan St. Jacques of Santa Ana; and Mary White of Newport Beach.