Of the 75 recommendations, 36 had already been adopted and agencies promised to adopt another 14. Sixteen of the recommendations were rejected, including major changes to the board of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which disagreed with all of the findings of the jury's controversial report.

"A majority [16 rejections] was the VTA which was frustrating," said Jane Howard, the outgoing interim chief of Gilroy's Economic Development Corp., who served on the grand jury last year. "We were quite pleased a lot already were implemented or would be."

Howard said she was most pleased that a controversial inquiry into the county's department of family and children's services was well received, with the agency promising to take a number of steps to improve performance and oversight, including detailed work plans and mandatory parent orientation classes.

Other notable reports examined the citizens bond oversight committee for Gilroy Unified School District (it found no malfeasance), the vector control district's ability to combat West Nile Virus, the Santa Clara Valley Water District's method of publicizing its meetings and the way local police departments handle evidence.

Agencies are not required to adopt any of their findings, but agencies must respond to grand jury reports, though the state's penal code does not prescribe any penalties for failing to do so.

The summary of the latest report, and all previous reports, are available online at http://www.sccsuperiorcourt.org/jury/GJ.html.

Matt King covers Santa Clara County for The Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7240 or mking@gilroydispatch.com.

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