Honorable Rodney S. Melville
Presiding Judge, Santa Barbara County Superior Court
Santa Maria, California

Dear Judge Melville:

Per Penal Code Section 933, and the laws of the State of California, we enclose herewith the Final Report of the 1994-1995 Grand Jury.

During the year and as they became finalized, approved by the jury, and served by your signature, the Grand Jury reports have been released as Interim Final Reports prior to the year’s end. This policy began several years ago, and was found to be agreeable to our jury. We urge future Juries to continue this practice as it promotes exposure of the Jury’s work to the public, and enhances the necessary relationship with members of the media.

We have attempted in all of our reports to follow your primary charge to us when we were sworn in--to show fairness in our investigations and harm no one in our findings. Controversy has arisen from many of our reports; however, we do not feel that any individual was treated in an unfair manner.

Our actions as a “watchdog” for the county have been well-served, and we are proud of the work we have done to keep the public aware of certain aspects of County government not readily available for public scrutiny. We hope that we have fulfilled our mission and that the time and effort devoted to this end has been meaningful.

A great number of issues were studied which involved matters that the Jury felt were most pertinent to investigation and discussion. There are many more issues that we did not have time to pursue, and some of these will be passed as suggestions to our new Grand Jury for their consideration.

We are extremely pleased to be the first Jury to enjoy the efforts of previous Juries and occupy the new Grand Jury quarters that were completed during our tenure. The new quarters have added a great deal of space, and we have been and future Juries will be, benefitted by this additional functional area.

It has been an outstanding year, and the results and accolades we have enjoyed are due to the cooperation and dedication of each and every Jury member who put forth the effort and the time to accomplish the work contained in this report. My personal commendation extends to those Jurors who have worked so hard and produced such a great document, and my deepest respect and appreciation is extended to them for our success.

Very truly yours,

Robert H. Glick,
Foreman 1994-1995 Grand Jury