Check this page frequently for any news regarding the GJAOC. For more pictures and information, see the GJAOC Facebook page. Also, don’t forget to check the Reports in the News web page for any stories in the local newspapers that mention previous Grand Jury reports.
December 2025 Luncheon
The Winter Luncheon was held at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club, on December 4, 2025.
General Meeting
New Board Directors Sworn in The 2026 GJAOC Board of Directors were sworn in by Presiding Judge Maria D. Hernandez. Six of the eleven Directors will begin their 2 year terms starting in January. Returning Directors Lynn Bonas, Terri Elders, Chris Evans and Greg Tettemer will begin their second term while Lynette Fujitani and Chris Pounds will begin their first term. They join Directors Ken Blake, Lynn Fenton, Doug Gillen, Karen Kindschi and Lisa Winter who will begin the second year of their terms.
Presentation
Assistant United States Attorney Mark Takla Unfortunately, Judge David O. Carter, who usually speaks to us at the December Luncheon, had to cancel about ten days before the event. Mark Takla, Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California, agreed to speak to us at the luncheon. He described the investigation, detailed forensics and prosecution of Stephan Beal who was found guilty of setting off a bomb that killed his ex-girlfriend, Idilko Krajnyak, owner of a day spa, and injured two others in Aliso Viejo in May, 2018. You may remember this story. His presentation was extremely fascinating.
A Dateline NBC episode entitled “Death at the Spa” describes the issue in detail. See further information at Dateline NBC Episode, although the actual episode may no longer be available.
Civil Grand Jurors Conference held October 26 & 27, 2025
The Civil Grand Jurors’ Association (CGJA) of California is composed of current and former grand jurors from throughout the state. It is dedicated to promoting the understanding of the unique practices of grand juries in California and to educating the public and prospective grand jurors about the beneficial oversight function of the system. This dedication is embodied in the mission statement- To promote, preserve, and support the grand jury system through training, education, and outreach. The annual conference was held in San Luis Obispo on October 26 & 27. GJAOC members Greg Tettemer (Board 2nd VP), Joyce Keller (CGJA Trainer) and John Woodward attended to represent our organization. We should also note here that member Chris Pounds is also a CGJA Trainer, although he could not attend the Convention this year. The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Foaad Khosmood, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo professor, who spoke on understanding artificial Intelligence. Among the many topics discussed during the two day forum was how each county grand jurors’ association can better interface with the public and how the associations serve the county grand juries. Read Greg’s summary of the Conference here. You can download the Keynote Address and other materials presented at the conference on their website page (near the bottom) at https://cgja.org/our-annual-conference/. See the GGJA website at https://cgja.org/ for more information about the organization.
September 2025 Luncheon
The Fall Luncheon was held at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club, on September 11, 2025.
General Meeting
Election of Board Directors The terms of 6 Board Directors are up at the end of the year. Board Directors Lynn Bonas, Terri Elders, Chris Evans, Lynette Fujitani and Greg Tettemer were elected to 2nd terms. John Moohr is retiring from the Board and Chris Pounds was elected to replace him in the 6th position. Since there were only 6 applicants for the 6 positions, the election was held by voice vote per the by-laws. Rick Barker moved to approve the slate, the motion was seconded by Gene Siegel, and it was approved by consensus. There is still an opening for one of the 5 off-year Directors. Anyone interested in serving at whatever capacity they can, email the Membership Chair.
2025-2026 Grand Jury Several members of the 2025-2026 Grand Jury attended. They are shown in the photo below.
Recognition and Presentation
Orange County Aging Services Collaborative This year the GJAOC recognized and honored the Orange County Aging Services Collaborative. Representatives Jocelyn Rubio-Melendrez and Patty Mouton were present and Jocelyn spoke about the organization. Jocelyn’s presentation can be found here.
2025-2026 Grand Jury Sworn In July 1, 2025
The 2025-2026 Grand Jury members were sworn in July 1st in Department C5.
2024-2025 Grand Jury Completes their Session June 30, 2025
The 2024-2025 Grand Jury has completed their session and has presented their their Final Report to the Court. It contains seven investigative reports. View them on the Reports page.
June 2025 Luncheon
The Summer Luncheon was held at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club, on June 5, 2025. Assistant Presiding Judge Sheila Hanson spoke to the GJAOC about the Orange County Courts. She provided extensive details on the Court’s mission, staffing, budgets, successes and challenges. See https://www.occourts.org/ for more information.
Norma Mendoza provided a brief summary of the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). CASA volunteers are trained community members who advocate for children in foster care, working with child protective services and the juvenile justice system to ensure the children’s safety and find suitable permanent homes. They provide a voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse or neglect. See https://www.casaoc.org/ for more information.
March 2025 Luncheon
Bob Page, Orange County Registrar of Voters, spoke to the GJAOC at the quarterly luncheon. He provided a detailed overview of operations. His presentation can be found here. Just a reminder that the 2024-2025 Grand Jury produced a report on their review of the organization and activities during the 2024 Presidential election. Read the full report here.
Bill Underwood, GJAOC representative for the OC Go effort also briefly spoke to the group. The effort to select new members of the oversight committee is currently underway. More information will be coming soon, posted on the OC Go page and presented in an upcoming Newsletter.
GJAOC Board Elects New Officers January 9, 2025
During the first meeting of 2025, the GJAOC Board of Directors selected new officers and committee chairs. See the Contact page for the current list of Board Directors, officers and committee chairs. For more information on the meeting, you can download the agenda and/or minutes from the Agenda and Minutes page.
2024-25 Panel Releases 1st Report January 7, 2025
The 2024-25 Grand Jury panel has released its first report of the session. They thoroughly reviewed all aspects of the Orange County Registrar of Voters operations and found the organization “adheres to the highest standards of integrity”. Read the full report here.
Civil Grand Jurors Conference held October 20 & 21, 2024
The Civil Grand Jurors’ Association (CGJA) of California is composed of current and former grand jurors from throughout the state. It is dedicated to promoting the understanding of the unique practices of grand juries in California and to educating the public and prospective grand jurors about the beneficial oversight function of the system. This dedication is embodied in the mission statement- To promote, preserve, and support the grand jury system through training, education, and outreach. The annual conference was held in Monterey on October 20 & 21. GJAOC Board Member and Membership Chair, Greg Tettemer, attended to represent our organization. The Keynote Speaker was Leon Panetta, former Monterey Congressman and cabinet member in the Clinton administration, who spoke on the value of public service. Among the many topics discussed was how each county grand jurors’ association can better interface with the public, how the associations serve the county grand juries, and how students at Cuyamaca College are creating a database of grand jury reports. You can read Greg’s summary of the conference here or contact him at membership@gjaoc.org for his thoughts. See the GGJA website at cgja.org for more information about the organization.
October 2024 OLLI Events
GJAOC members described the Orange County Grand Jury during two Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) events. The October 15 UCI OLLI event went very well with about 20 attendees and several more on ZOOM. The coordinator at UCI dedicated this presentation to the memory of Sandy Dunkin. The October 22 CSUF event had 35 present, and 15 or more on ZOOM. There were many good questions, and more fliers were passed out at both events, especially at CSUF, where an application pitch was made for those living in Supervisor District #4.
September 2024 Luncheon
The Fall Luncheon was held at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club, on September 12, 2024.
General Meeting
Several items were discussed during the General Meeting, including
Election of Board Directors The terms of 5 Board Directors are up at the end of the year. Board Directors Doug Gillen, Karen Kindschi and Ken Blake were elected to 2nd terms. And Patti Whitman was elected to the 4th position. There is still an opening for the 5th Director. And 3 mid-term Directors are retiring and must be replaced. Anyone interested in serving at whatever capacity they can, email the Membership Chair.
Approval of By-Laws As a 501(c) organization, GJAOC operates under a set of By-Laws. These are periodically reviewed and updated as required. The latest revision was approved by the membership and can be found on the By-Laws page.
Ambassador Recruitment Catalina Roger spoke about the Ambassador Program in an effort to recruit volunteers. For more information, see the Ambassador page.
Recognition and Presentations
This year the GJAOC recognized and honored two organizations that diligently address issues of interest to previous Grand Juries, namely protection of our environment, its flora and fauna. Representatives delivered presentations at the September 12 luncheon at the Santa Ana Elks Lodge.
OC Animal Allies began in 1984 as a small group of resolute animal lovers in Orange County who joined together to form an organization dedicated to helping Orange County residents and animals. It is an independent, volunteer-driven, non-profit and is not affiliated with any other SPCA, including the ASPCA. Kevin Marlin, Executive Director of OC Animal Allies, spoke to the group. In addition, Misty Marlin brought along two trained therapy pups. His presentation can be found here.
The Natural Communities Coalition (NCC) was established in 1996 as one of the first steps following the signing of a landscape-scale habitat planning and conservation effort to provide long-term protection for wildlife and their critical habitats, and regulatory assurances and economic benefits for participating landowners. It initially was known as the Nature Reserve of Orange County. Darin Loughrey, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator of Natural Communities Coalition, gave a presentation on his organization. His presentation can be found here.
GJAOC members are encouraged to learn more about the valuable work that these two collaborations do: https://www.ocanimalallies.org/ and https://occonservation.org/
Sandy Dunkin Passes
With heavy hearts, we’re saying farewell to Sandy Dunkin, our Chair of the Speaker’s Bureau who has worked tirelessly to support the Grand Jury system. Sandy passed away August 18th after 5 years of going through treatments for cancer. Always optimistic and positive. Sandy’s background in marketing served the county well.
Sandy spent her time working hard to make our community a better place. Her attention to detail, intelligence, professionalism, and dedication to the citizens of our county was monumental, whether with the Rotary Club of Irvine, GJAOC, and other volunteer organizations. Sandy spent her retirement years in the service of the community. Sandy wasn’t just a volunteer, she was a force of nature and made every project a success. When she started volunteering as a speaker, she went on to speak before more than 50 organizations all over the county and produced a power point adaptable to a variety of audiences. Sandy is responsible for having UCI and CSUF OLLI classes on the regular schedule every fall.
On a personal level, her smile says it all! Love of life, her family , and community, and always optimistic, and pragmatic. If there’s a problem, let’s fix it. An unforgettable lady who will always be missed.
GJAOC at Orange County Fair July 20 and 21, 2024
The GJAOC manned a booth at the Orange County Fair July 20 and 21, 2024. We talked with several people who were interested in the OC Grand Jury and we’re hoping some of them will apply. The event was deemed a success. Primary goal at these events is to inform the general public about the Orange County Grand Jury and to generate interest to obtain future applicants.
2024-2025 Grand Jury Sworn In
The 2024-2025 Grand Jury members were sworn in July 1st.
2023-2024 Grand Jury Completes their Session
The 2023-2024 Grand Jury has completed their session and released their Final Report which includes six investigative reports. View them on the Reports page.
June 2024 Luncheon
The GJAOC Summer luncheon was held on June 6, at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club.
March 2024 Luncheon
The GJAOC Spring luncheon was held on Pi Day, March 14, at our usual venue, the Santa Ana Elks Club. Bill Underwood, GJAOC OG Go Lead, spoke about the program. For more information, visit the OC Go page.
Lisa Wright Jenkins, President & CEO of the Southern California Council on Aging, gave a well received presentation about the organization. View or download her COASC Overview presentation. For more information visit their website at coasc.org.