When retired policy consultant Nolice Edwards attended an orientation for potential grand jury members, the lack of diversity in the meeting was glaring and her \u201cspidey sense\u201d started tingling. At the end of the session, a facilitator asked if those present had any questions. Edwards lifted her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just sort of raised the question \u2014 I said, \u2018There\u2019s not a lot of diversity in the room and not to be negative, I\u2019m just wondering if you have some thoughts about why that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a time when diversity and inclusion are under attack, Edwards says her inquiry wasn\u2019t shut down as it may have been in other spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey acknowledged it when I brought it up,\u201d she says. \u201cThey didn\u2019t downplay it or back pedal on it. I\u2019m not sure it had been asked before.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Nolice](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11172025-RS-GRAND-JURY-007.jpg\")
Nolice Edwards chairs the Community Engagement Committee for Sacramento County\u2019s 2025-2026 grand jury. In addition to their service on the grand jury, jurors are required to participate in two investigative committees and an additional support committee. Russell Stiger Jr., OBSERVER<\/p>\n
Despite its critical role as a government watchdog, the Sacramento County grand jury historically has lacked diversity.<\/p>\n
A grand jury examines the operations, finances and conduct of local government agencies, cities, and special districts. It issues reports on its findings and can make recommendations for improvements in how local government functions.<\/p>\n
Each year, the local grand jury has 19 members and 11 alternates. A look at rosters the last few years shows that only one or two African Americans typically serve at a given time. Current and former jurors are spearheading efforts to change that by targeting outreach to minority communities.<\/p>\n
This push for diversity is critical, they say, as a lack of varied perspectives at the table \u2014 especially from communities that often feel unheard \u2014 can lead to an \u201cout of sight, out of mind\u201d effect, resulting in recommendations and investigations that fail to address the systemic issues faced by all residents.<\/p>\n
Participation on the local grand jury was on Edwards\u2019 \u201cbucket list.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m always interested in anything where I can look at policy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Having worked in the legislature for decades, Edwards waited until she retired during the COVID pandemic to check this particular item off her list.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a time commitment that\u2019s a little tough to do while you\u2019re working,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Individuals can expect to spend 30-35 hours a week doing the work of the grand jury and serving on mandatory subcommittees.<\/p>\n
While Edwards did not observe a high level of participation by people of color, the opportunity to have a seat at the table and influence policy was her main motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cInclusion is always something that\u2019s important to me, but it was really the policy aspect of it, in terms of looking at issues within government entities, that caught my eye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before a recent meeting at grand jury headquarters, Edwards took stock of group photos adorning the walls that showcased jurors from the last 25 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started counting to see how many Black folks were in the pictures,\u201d she says. \u201cI don\u2019t think I counted more than five at one time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edwards, who chairs the grand jury\u2019s community engagement committee, doesn\u2019t think the lack of diversity has been deliberate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that it\u2019s how they recruit,\u201d she says. \u201cI think it\u2019s how they put the message out there about the grand jury. I think it\u2019s where they put the message out there and how they talk about it so they catch the interest of people of color. They do things black and white, and they\u2019re used to doing things a certain way, and so they don\u2019t expand outside the box to say, \u2018Where else can we go?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Edwards stresses the importance of not looking at things, and making recommendations, from a narrow viewpoint.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings impact people differently. I\u2019m an African American woman, so what a white woman or white individual may think about something, because of their life experiences, are totally different from mine. If our lenses aren\u2019t included, then the breadth of discussion isn\u2019t there. You\u2019re not going to be able to come to a solution or a recommendation that is balanced.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Wanda](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11172025-RS-GRAND-JURY-004.jpg\")
Wanda Smith, who retired from state employment in 2024, views serving for a year on the grand jury as her \u201ccivic duty.\u201d Smith encourages other African Americans to do the same. Russell Stiger Jr., OBSERVER<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a matter of familiarity, says Barry F. Boyd, a community advocate who served on the 2024-2025 grand jury.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re in Arden Arcade, an affluent neighborhood, what is your circle? You know the folks around Arden Arcade, not Meadowview, not Del Paso Heights,\u201d Boyd says.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a responsibility to make sure outreach is equal, he continues. \u201cIf there isn\u2019t representation of varying voices outside of the mainstream, you won\u2019t have the addressing of communities outside of that mainstream.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Boyd saw a general application announcement for the grand jury on Facebook four years ago. He initially thought it was a scam and didn\u2019t read it. When he eventually did, he saw it as an avenue to lodge complaints about things that he saw happening in the historically disadvantaged community of South Sacramento that needed attention. The more he read, the more interested he became in \u201cputting [his] two cents in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, forget the complaints, let me see if I can be a part of the process to bring in an equitable, unbiased mindset. I know I\u2019m fair minded, so I thought, \u2018Let me see what happens.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyd served after three years of trying to get on the grand jury. The stages for applying to and being selected include an online application, an initial review for eligibility, an interview with the selection committee, and a final random drawing from the qualified applicants to form the jury and alternates. Applicants must meet basic qualifications and be prepared to commit 25-35 hours per week to the service, which begins in July and lasts one year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no joke,\u201d Boyd says of the time commitment required.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I think most folks who do this are retired,\u201d Edwards says.<\/p>\n
Edwards has prioritized creating inclusive outreach materials and widening the places where those materials are distributed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou start where you want your message to go and who you want it to go to,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cIf I\u2019m thinking about trying to get more African American individuals [involved], I\u2019m going to where I know I can reach the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
While participants say diversity efforts haven\u2019t been blocked, some interaction has shown why it\u2019s necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the conversations around the table on certain issues, it\u2019s very clear to me why it\u2019s important to continue to have and expand on diversity so you have it at the table,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cMy life experiences are different than yours. We can be women of the same age, but what my lens is, is totally different than what your lens is and that comes out around the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
It makes for some good discussion, she adds.<\/p>\n
Boyd says he was able to hold his own during such deliberations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t bite my tongue,\u201d he says. \u201cWhite privilege is everywhere, but there was no one that was going to be able to talk around me or talk over me.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were trying times like with anything else, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a roomful of individuals and we all don\u2019t share the same opinion or perspective. If I\u2019m the only African American in that particular committee, I don\u2019t give the African American perspective,\u201d he says. \u201cI give the fair and unbiased perspective that\u2019s being given from an African American.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some in Boyd\u2019s personal circle disapproved of his presence on the grand jury, accusing him of being \u201cpart of the system.\u201d He was unphased.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take the heat,\u201d he says. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t bother me. I\u2019m here to help the community. I\u2019m not the doormat; I\u2019m not the boot licker.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Local](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/11172025-RS-GRAND-JURY-002.jpg\")
Local radio personality Wanda Smith, left, and former policy consultant Nolice Edwards, right, are bringing their perspectives to the Sacramento County grand jury. They\u2019re two of the three Blacks currently serving. Russell Stiger Jr., OBSERVER<\/p>\n
A historic mistrust of government and court-related proceedings also impacts low African American participation. Many confuse civil grand juries with criminal trial juries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Current juror Wanda Smith admits she did at first.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was going to be like it is on \u2018Law & Order,\u201d Smith says of the long-running NBC crime drama series that follows cases from investigation to trial. \u201cI thought I was going to be indicting people and sending people to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith, a local radio personality, retired from her day job as a state employee. She sees grand jury participation as her \u201ccivic duty.\u201d Smith says she\u2019s \u201cnot one to be on the frontlines,\u201d but more the type to discuss and explore the many nuances of an issue and how it impacts the community, which she does on her weekly KDEE 97.5 show and podcast, \u201cMs. Wanda\u2019s Full Circle Radio.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have opinions and thoughts too,\u201d Smith says on the importance of diversity.<\/p>\n
She and Edwards are among three African Americans on the current grand jury, a count that includes an alternate who recently replaced a departing juror. Smith says while the governing body has been a hard sell thus far, it will kick outreach into high gear as the application period opened Nov. 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means continuously trying to hit events and get things out and in various communication networks,\u201d Edwards says.<\/p>\n
She hopes to get a better response by driving home the need for more voices.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the county grand jury has issued reports on teens in foster care, elder financial abuse and how students with disabilities fare within the Sacramento City Unified School District.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of folks don\u2019t know that these complaints come from the public,\u201d Edwards says. \u201cThat\u2019s their voice. If there\u2019s something that you want to have investigated or looked into, in terms of whether it\u2019s a government entity or what have you \u2026 the community has the opportunity to file a complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyd counts his time serving on the 2024-2025 grand jury as a positive and plans to reapply someday.<\/p>\n
Individuals can serve on the Sacramento County grand jury more than once. However, they are limited to a maximum of two consecutive years. A current grand juror can request to be a \u201choldover\u201d for a second year and, if approved, serve another term.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s intensive, but it\u2019s satisfying being a part of the collective that\u2019s presenting not only great work, but great work that will make a change, versus spending a year on something with no teeth behind it,\u201d Boyd says.<\/p>\n
While Smith is OK with her year of service being a \u201cone and done,\u201d Edwards, like Boyd, plans to continue her participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to probably do it as a holdover,\u201d she says. \u201cJust simply because of the outreach, if for nothing else than to be able to see how we\u2019re doing, how we did this year in terms of our outreach and tracking and where we can look at the gaps again, because there\u2019s a lot of gaps now. To look at the gaps again and how we\u2019re doing moving forward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The future guides diversity efforts, Edwards says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to build the pool not just for the coming year, but so that folks can go back years from now and say \u2018OK, what did they do for outreach to build the list?\u2019\u201dThe application period for the next grand jury is open and ends Friday, Jan. 2. The 2026-2027 term runs July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. For more, visit sacgrandjury.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When retired policy consultant Nolice Edwards attended an orientation for potential grand jury members, the lack of diversity…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69270,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[4337,912,41019,8922,41020,41021,41022,121,357,41023,123,122,41024],"class_list":["post-69269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-barry-f-boyd","tag-carousel","tag-community-engagement-committee","tag-genoa-barrow","tag-local-radio-personality","tag-nolice-edwards","tag-policy-consultant","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-county","tag-sacramento-county-grand-jury","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news","tag-wanda-smith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69269\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}