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Tuolumne County residents press supervisors to respond quickly to grand jury findings
Summary
Public commenters at the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors meeting urged a fast, public response to a recently released grand jury report; county staff told the board they have 90 days to file a response and have already begun work.
Public commentators told the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that a recently released grand jury report shows favoritism and mismanagement and called on the board to act quickly.
Board staff said the county is working on a formal response and must file one within 90 days of receipt. "We have 90 days to respond, but we started working on our response the minute that we received it," the Acting county administrative officer told the board.
The report prompted several public speakers to take the podium during oral communications. A commenter who read from Proverbs and then offered a prayer said the report ‘‘shows a high level of favoritism and cronyism going on within our county government’’ and urged supervisors to follow the grand jury’s recommendations. Leonard Forbes, another public commenter, called the report ‘‘very negative’’ and said the board should set aside the rest of its published agenda to address the findings.
Acting county staff told the board they plan to meet with supervisors and other staff this week to shape the county’s response. The board chair said the county cannot add a formal grand jury response as a last-minute board agenda item but asked staff to provide a timeline and next steps for the board and public.
The rest of the meeting proceeded with consent items and scheduled staff reports. Several supervisors emphasized that grand-jury-related matters frequently touch on confidential personnel and closed-session issues and that the formal response must be developed in coordination with county counsel and the courts. The chair told the public the board is taking the matter seriously and staff are preparing a formal reply.
Ending: County staff said they will brief the board on an internal timeline for the required response and meet with supervisors to review a draft reply. The board did not take formal action on the public comments themselves at the meeting; the next public steps will be the staff briefings and any formal response filed under the statutory 90‑day deadline.
