Discussion | 18 comments

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• 1036-FrankMarch 14, 2013 - 10:43 am

  Seems like a simple question. Along with why, it should follow with who then followed with when, then it should be taken to a functioning Grand Jury at the Sac Federal Court House for follow up. In the meantime it would be appropriate to keep the county GJ disbanded until further notice. The corruption probe into local govt. both elected and employees, needs to start at a level that can produce results, instead of just another scandal to add to the list and another sordid chapter of cover-ups and CYA actions.

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• RaulMarch 14, 2013 - 2:05 pm

  So far the Mt.Dumpacrap has managed to avoid any reasonable investigation into the Grand Jury fiasco....Jurygate?. What drove 14 honest and dedicated citizen volunteers away. Who was attempting to interfear with thier investigation? Which one of the elected elite got caught and what pressure or unethical actions were being applied in an attempt to cover for one of thier own. Thank you GJ members for representing me and the other honest, ethical citizens of El Dorado County. We demand answers!

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• EvelynMarch 14, 2013 - 3:36 pm

  Link to the originally reported story and comments HERE.

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• EvelynMarch 14, 2013 - 3:39 pm

  "El Dorado County Grand Jury disbanded" HERE (Lake Tahoe News)

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• EvelynMarch 14, 2013 - 3:45 pm

  "The Public Eye: El Dorado County grand jury disbands after mass resignation" HERE: Bill Trautman, president of the California Grand Jurors' Association and a former Napa County grand juror, said dissolution of a civil grand jury may be unprecedented.

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• 1036-FrankMarch 14, 2013 - 7:27 pm

  This is corruption as it's finest when the citizen watch-dogs are attacked by the rabid dogs they are watching and are forced to resign because of disgust or a sudden vacationing judge or both. With no citizen oversight, the Gob's think they have won another round and will be back at it thinking they have pulled the wool again and swept it under. Until the right person comes along or the citizens outrage gathers and this is taken to a federal level, where corruption is prosecuted, corruption will continue to grow like spring grass.

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• EvelynMarch 14, 2013 - 9:36 pm

  1036-Frank: Somehow star thistle more readily comes to mind than spring grass.

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• James SmithMarch 15, 2013 - 5:57 am

  Steve, I'd love to tell you the answer is taped to the bottom of the bar at the Liar's Bench, but you're going to have to dig a little deeper than that. Read the Lake Tahoe News article real hard paying special attention to the names listed, the relationships between the individuals and the connections to the County. Then deduce that this is a major corruption coverup, as 14 GJ members don't just up and leave all at once as you previously stated.

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• Phil VeerkampMarch 15, 2013 - 7:14 am

  James, a minor point perhaps, but the Lake Tahoe News article DID NOT say that 14 GJ members quit all at once. The timing of and the intervals between the total resignations MAY be important. It is dishonest to continue to peddle the notion of mass, sudden resignations.

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• EvelynMarch 15, 2013 - 7:29 am

  "The Public Eye: El Dorado County grand jury disbands after mass resignation" HERE - "Fourteen of the 19 members of the county's civil grand jury resigned last month, leading Supervising Judge Steven Bailey to take the extraordinary step of dissolving the 2012-13 grand jury. Grand jury foreman Ray Van Asten said he was among the members who submitted their resignations en masse Feb. 19, eight months into their yearlong term."

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• EvelynMarch 15, 2013 - 7:37 am

  It does not appear James Smith was being dishonest. Finding a substantiating source simply required doing a search on "el dorado county grand jury resignations".

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• EvelynMarch 15, 2013 - 7:52 am

  No part of this seminal event should be taken lightly or allowed by the public to disappear. I have no idea by what route one gets to the bottom of what happened during the Grand Jury proceedings that led 14 conscientious members of our community to take the reported action. But it would be the gravest dereliction to let this be buried.

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• James SmithMarch 15, 2013 - 7:55 am

  Because the Public has been given so little information on this GJ dissolution, one would have to deduce from simple logic that this was an abrupt and mass resignation. If the resignations had occurred due to normal attrition, the Judge in charge of the GJ would have had time to replace the resigning Grand Jurors with other Grand Jurors available in the GJ pool. Several people that interviewed with Judge Bailey and were on the short list have not been called. Replacement 1. The court shall summon the next available alternate grand juror and administer the oath of office. http://cgja.org/

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• 1036-FrankMarch 15, 2013 - 8:29 am

  If the GJ members who resigned did so because of a mole reporting their actions to the Gob's then there appear to be clear criminal violations. Wonder where the DA went this time? Is it going to take the Sac media to send a news crew in? This is going to strongly reflect in the next DA election, not to mention the need for new judges who are serious about who they work for and what the public trust means. Not based on your "connections" and "who you know."

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• RichardMarch 15, 2013 - 9:34 am

  Doesn’t matter who the judge is, a simple request from one judge to another for professional courtesy on an issue is all that’s needed. We all know judges without question conduct themselves in a saint like manner and for all I know many are saint like. But, where there’s millions and millions involved who knows what risks may be taken. Also, professional courtesy requests are also how undesirables, libels, not the right republicans and independents are marginalized on the El Dorado County grand-jury.

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• Walking TallMarch 15, 2013 - 11:19 am

  Steve, the answer to why is simple: "They got to close to the GOB's and the truth about them" At least we have an honest Judge who took action following the GJ's action supporting them. Now we need an outside source to investigate the corruption, let's wait and see huh, how much time will it take, well then that's the real question....

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• RichardMarch 15, 2013 - 12:21 pm

  Background checks should be more stringent (to keep guns out of the hands of knuckleheads),” D’Agostini said during his apology to the citizens of El Dorado County.

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• DB SmithMarch 15, 2013 - 3:27 pm

  Richard, very feeble attempt.

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