NEVADA CITY, Calif. July 2, 2025 – On Tuesday, the 2025-26 Nevada County Civil Grand Jury members were sworn in by Superior Court Judge Scott Thomsen.
Judge Thomsen thanked the outgoing Jury members and welcomed county and court officials in the audience. He recognized the efforts of Loydyne Lane, who was instrumental in founding the Nevada County chapter of the Civil Grand Jurors’ Association of California and lead a successful recruitment drive, resulting in the highest number of applicants ever.
Assistant County Executive Officer Patrick Eidman said, “I wanted to be here this morning to be part of this, which is exciting, but also to say thank you, which seems wholly inadequate given the amount of time and resources that you dedicate. We look forward to working with you in all the ways that matter and will have impact. Thank you for caring about this place that we love and where we live and work.”
District Attorney Jesse Wilson stated, “I would also like to thank all you guys for your service. I think as a public official, my role in this whole process is to be an advisor. I would just echo the sentiments of His Honor [Judge Thomsen] and just say how important this role is, just from a citizen’s perspective in supporting and aiding the transparency of local government and the credibility of local government. Can’t thank you enough and have a good session.”
Superior Court Executive Officer Laila Waheed welcomed new and returning members, “Thank you for your service. One of my other titles is Jury Commissioner for the Court, and so my responsibilities are to make sure that this day happens, you are here and ready to serve. I am very grateful for the effort that you put in the past year, and your continued effort to make sure that we have accountability, transparency.”
County Counsel Kit Elliott also greeted the grand jury members, “Welcome, I will be your legal advisor throughout the year as provided by law. I will be meeting with you to go through what my role is and how I can assist you in any way. I do want to thank personally Loydyne for her work and the recruitment. Welcome and I always appreciate anybody that does any volunteer work in a community to make it better. So thank you very much for your hard work.”
The current Grand Jury members are Dave Anderson, Robert Avery, Joe D’Andrea, Howard Bronstone, Leeds Davis, Don Doernberg, Dave Frost, Gona Gray, Debby Heller, Marc Itow, Nick Johnson, Holly Leeds, Terry Lipper, Mark Riedel, Kim Strula, Jenny Withworth and Tricia Wilcox. Joe D’Andrea was appointed Foreperson by Judge Thomsen.
The Grand Jury can examine all aspects of special districts, county, and city government to ensure that the county is being governed efficiently and that monies are being handled appropriately. For more information about the Grand Jury, or to apply to be a Grand Juror, click here.