Every year in the fall, CGJA holds an Annual Conference/Membership Meeting at a different location. The conference provides an opportunity for members and civil grand jurors to meet and discuss experiences, ask questions, and otherwise engage in activities to enhance everyone’s understanding of the civil grand jury system in order to contribute to CGJA’s role in protecting and enhancing California’s county civil grand jury system.
We are pleased to announce that the 2024 CGJA Annual Conference will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton – Monterey, Monterey County on October 20 and 21, 2024. The theme for this years’ conference is Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement. The Keynote Address will be given by The Honorable Leon Panetta, 23rd Secretary of Defense and former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. His personal story of public service will be inspirational. We will also have an informative panel discussion and interesting breakout sessions which we believe you will find enlightening, inspiring, and challenging. Festivities will include a dinner on the evening of October 20 where we can socialize and renew acquaintances before and during dinner.
There will also be a silent auction where many interesting items will be available for your careful consideration. Chapters and Associations are encouraged to donate a basket containing items representing bounty from their county for this event. Individual donations of auction items will also be graciously received, with advance notification to annualconference@cgja.org so that requisite auction materials can be prepared. All proceeds will be used to reduce conference registration fees.
This conference will open Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM. After opening remarks, there will be a panel discussion lead by the Training team to update us on CGJA’s annual training program, followed by CGJA President Gary Cooper who will update us on the state of the Association and other CGJA activities. We will also be introduced to the newly elected CGJA officers and directors, and the winners of the Excellence in Reporting Awards. There will then be two sessions of breakout discussions. Breakout Session #1 will feature the topics Strategies for Recruiting Members, Creating a Local Chapter of CGJA, and How can CGJA Help Your Chapter/Association. Breakout Session #2 will include Strategies for Recruiting Members, Improving Grand Jury and Court Relations and How can CGJA Help Your Chapter/Association. Finally, at our dinner on the evening of October 20, the recipient of the 2024 Angelo Rolando Service Award will be announced.
The conference will reconvene at 9:00 AM on October 21, where we hear from The Honorable Leon Panetta who will deliver the Keynote Address, followed by an opportunity to meet CGJA committee chairs and learn of committee objectives and volunteer opportunities. Finally, there will be time for member comments, a Q&A session and closing remarks from our new CGJA President, who will be named at the conference.
Plan now to join us in Monterey!
41st Annual 2024 CGJA Annual Conference
Harnessing the Power of Civic Engagement
Embassy Suites, Monterey, California
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Laguna Grande Ballroom (E, F, & G)
1:00 – 1:15 PM: Conference and silent auction opens: Pledge of Allegiance and opening remarks
Lloyd Bell, Annual Conference Chair
1:15 – 2:15PM: Panel Discussion: Meet the Training Team
Marsha Caranci, Richard Rogers, and Karen Jahr with audience Q&A
2:15 – 2:30PM: CGJA President’s Report on CGJA Activities and the State of the Association
Presentation of Certificate of Affiliation to Solano County
Gary Cooper, CGJA President
2:30 – 2:55 PM: Election results
Karen Deeming, Chair, Nominations-Elections Committee
Swearing in Officers and Directors
Honorable Stephanie E. Hulsey, Superior Court Judge, Monterey County
2:55– 3:10 PM: Presentation of Best Report and Media Awards
Barbara Sommer, Chair, Excellence in Reporting Subcommittee
3:10 – 3:15 PM: Break (reassemble at breakout session location after break)
3:15 – 3:55 PM: Breakout session #1 (four different topics from which to choose)
- Strategies for Recruiting Chapter and Retaining Members, Leader: Anne Granlund, Contra Costa
- Strategies for Recruiting Grand Jury Members, Leader: Juliana Jones, Mono
- Chapters – What can CGJA do for you? Leader: Lou Panetta, Monterey
3:55 – 4:05 PM: Move to breakout session #2
4:05 – 4:50 PM: Breakout session #2
- Strategies for Recruiting Chapter and Retaining Members, Leader: Anne Granlund, Contra Costa
- Improving Grand Jury and Court Relations, Leader: Tom Mastre, Monterey
- Chapters – What can we do for you ? Leader: Lou Panetta, Monterey
4:50 – 5:00 PM: Stretch Break; reassemble in Laguna Grand Ballroom
5:00 – 5:25 PM: Report out from breakout session leaders
5:25 – 5:30 PM: Wrap up by breakout session Moderator, Juliana Jones
5:30 PM: CGJA Annual Conference recesses
6:30 PM: CGJA Annual Conference Dinner
Seaside Ballroom
Angelo Rolando Service Award presentation
Joann Landi, Chair, Angelo Rolando Service Award Subcommittee
8:00 PM: Silent Auction closes
Live Auction commences (Monterey Chapter)
Monday, October 21, 2024
Laguna Grande Ballroom
8:30 – 8:45 AM: CGJA Annual Conference resumes
Lloyd Bell, Annual Conference Chair
8:45 – 9:30 AM: Keynote Address: The Value of Public Service
The Honorable Leon Panetta, 23rd Secretary of Defense and Former Director, CIA
23rd Secretary of Defense and former Director, Central Intelligence Agency
9:30 – 9:45 AM: Break
9:45 – 10:45 AM: CGJA NEEDS YOU!
Committee Chairs present committee objectives and volunteer opportunities – speed dating format)
10:45 – 11:15 AM: The Grand Jury Lab: Attributes of Effective Grand Jury Reports
Professor Josue France, Cuyamaca College and CGJA Grand Jury Effectiveness Workgroup
11:15 – 11:30 AM: Member comments and Q&A
CGJA President
11:30 AM – Noon: Conference wrap up and closing remarks
CGJA President
Important Note: If you are registering online using the link below and wish to make payment with your credit card, you must click on the down arrow on the right side of the Payment Method box. Then select Credit Card.
Download Conference Registration Form (PDF) Note: Lifetime members who receive free registration will need to use the downloadable form.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS: The Embassy Suites by Hilton Monterey is now accepting sleeping room reservations for your attendance at the CGJA Annual Conference. Their street address is 1441 Canyon Del Rey, Seaside, CA 93955.
You may make your sleeping room reservation either online or by phone.
On-line at: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/2024annualconferencecgja/
IF YOU ARE STAYING MORE THAN ONE NIGHT, YOU WILL NEED TO DO THIS ALSO:
- Select “Book a Room”
- On the next screen, select “Edit Stay”
- Select arrival and checkout dates, select “done”, then select “update”
- On the next screen, scroll down and select “Quick Book”
- Then proceed with credit card data.
OR
By phone:
Hilton reservations at 1-800-774-1500, or
Embassy Suites front desk at 831-393-1115 ext. 0
Be sure to tell them you are attending the CGJA Annual Conference to get the CGJA rate of $214.
The discount code, should you need it, is “91I”
Sleeping Room Reservations must be made by September 27, 2024 to receive the CGJA room rate of $214 (single/double). Reservations made after that date will be subject to the prevailing hotel rates and room availability at the time of booking.
Please Note: Sleeping rooms must be secured with a valid credit card. No deposit is required in advance.
Hotel self-parking daily rate is $20.00.
Note also that the hotel does not provide lunch service at this time.
►The set of committee reports for 2023 can be viewed here.
► A feature of the 2023 Annual Conference was the inclusion of 5 breakout sessions which covered Building Bridges with Technology, You’re Being Duped in Past Elections, Your Assoc. – Attracting, Motivating, & Recruiting Members, Recruiting Jurors Through Filming, and OLLI Education. The handout for the breakout session can be viewed here.
► 2023 CGJA Volunteer Roster can be viewed here.
Please direct all queries or suggestions about the annual conference to Lloyd Bell, Annual Conference Chair.
Transcripts of Conferences since 2006 can be found in the December issue of the Grand Jurors’ Journal for that year which contains a summary of the conference of that year. Go to Journal Archives to find these editions.
Transcripts of Conferences held prior to 2007 are archived here.