Cities Fiscal Health, Governance and Management Defined Retirement Health, Deferred

Recommendations 7

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  Who: Your Name: _______________________________________________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip, Code: _______________________________________________________________ Telephone: ( ) Extension: ______________
• R2

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  What: Subject of Complaint. Briefly state the nature of complaint and the action of what Los Angeles County department, section, agency, or official(s) that you believe was illegal or improper. Use additional sheets if necessary. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
• R3

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  When: Date(s) of incident: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
• R4

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  Where: Names and addresses of other departments, agencies or officials involved in this com- plaint. Include dates and types of contact, i.e. phone, letter, personal. Use additional sheets if necessary. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
• R5

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  Why/How: Attach pertinent documents and correspondence with dates. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Rev 01/17/2013 162 2012-2013 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT CITIZENS’ COMPLAINT COMMITTEE Complaint Guidelines Communications from the public can provide valuable information to the Grand Jury. Any private citizen, government employee, or officer may submit a completed complaint form to request that the Grand Jury conduct an investigation. This complaint must be in writing and is treated as confidential. Prior to submitting the Complaint Form to the Grand Jury office, please retain a copy for your records if needed. Receipt of all complaints will be acknowledged. If the Civil Grand Jury determines that a matter is within the legally permissible scope of its investigative powers and would warrant further inquiry, additional information may be requested. If a matter does not fall within the Grand Jury's investigative authority or the Jury determines not to investigate a complaint, no action will be taken and there will be no further contact from the Civil Grand Jury. The findings of any investigation conducted by the Grand Jury can be communicated only in a formal final report published at the conclusion of the Grand Jury's term, June 30th. Some complaints are not suitable for civil grand jury action. For example, the Grand Jury has no jurisdiction over judicial performance, actions of the court, or cases that are pending in the courts. Grievances of this nature must be resolved through the established judicial appeal system. The Civil Grand Jury has no jurisdiction or authority to investigate federal or state agencies. Only causes of action occurring within the County of Los Angeles are eligible for review. The jurisdiction of the Civil Grand Jury includes the following:  Consideration of evidence of misconduct against public officials within Los Angeles County.  Inquiry into the condition and management of the jails within the county.  Investigation and report on the operations, accounts, and records of the officers, departments or functions of the county including those operations, accounts, and records of any special legislative district or other district in the county created pursuant to state law for which the officers of the county are serving in their ex officio capacity as officers of the districts.  Investigation of the books and records of any incorporated city or joint powers agency located in the county. Mail complaint form to: Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center 210 West Temple Street, Eleventh Floor, Room 11-506 Los Angeles, CA 90012 2012-2013 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT 163 CITIZENS’ COMPLAINT COMMITTEE 164 2012-2013 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT CONTINUITY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Jeff Clements-Chair Mel Widawski Thomas Scheerer Gil Zeal Jerry Strofs
• R13

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  REPORT OF THE CITIZENS’ COMPLAINT COMMITTEE In accordance with established practice, the 2012-2013 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury (Grand Jury) established a Citizens Complaint Committee (Committee) to review and consider written communications addressed to it by members of the public. During its term, the Committee reviewed 72 letters from citizens, many of which contained accompanying documents. Twenty-three letters requested Grand Jury review of criminal proceedings, convictions or alleged police or prosecutorial misconduct which were beyond the Grand Jury’s jurisdiction. In four instances, citizens requested that the Grand Jury take action in matters involving State Hospitals or the Workers Compensation Appeals Board which are also beyond the jurisdiction of the Grand Jury. In nine instances, the Grand Jury was asked to intercede in private contractual issues or employment relations issues which were beyond the Grand Jury’s jurisdiction. In two instances, after consideration by the entire Grand Jury, citizens were referred to other Los Angeles County or City agencies to pursue the issues raised. In many other cases, the Grand Jury determined that no action was appropriate. In one instance, a letter received from a citizen regarding the transfer of funds by the City of Glendale from Glendale Water & Power to the City’s general fund prompted a formal investigation by the Grand Jury. As a result, the Grand Jury issued an interim report on March 22, 2013 expressing its concerns regarding Glendale’s compliance with Propositions 218 and 26. The Grand Jury also received several letters regarding housing in the City of Los Angeles. These letters were received well into the Committee’s term. The Grand Jury then informed the citizens who wrote letters to the Grand Jury and encouraged them to communicate their concerns to the 2013-2014 Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury. Citizens who wish to submit complaints to the Grand Jury should do so by using the following complaint form and guidelines which may also be found at the Civil Grand Jury website, www.http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/jury/pdf/investigation.pdf. 2012-2013 LOS ANGELES COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT 161 CITIZENS’ COMPLAINT COMMITTEE CITIZEN COMPLAINT FORM Please Review Attached Complaint Guidelines Before Completing this Form PLEASE PRINT DATE: _____________________________
• R14

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  CONTINUITY COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Continuity Committee serves as a bridge connecting the work of previous Los Angeles County Grand Juries (Grand Jury) to the current Grand Jury. The Continuity Committee main- tained complete records of responses to the recommendations by the 2011-2012 Grand Jury. Fur- ther, the 2012-2013 Continuity Committee created a list of current recommendations issued in