Page 4 January 19, 2017 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance Jury Ready Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Almost everyone, at one time or another, receives that very official letter in the mail with the return address from the Superior Court of California including the red capital letters on the front saying, “Official Jury Summons Enclosed.” A couple months ago, I received my notice to appear. My heart sank into my stomach, knowing I was about to enter the legal world again. Maybe it is the word “summons” that makes me cringe…but every time the courts require my participation, I remember the time I actually served on a jury. Luckily, my jury service was fulfilled locally, right here at the Torrance Courthouse. A large group of perspective jurors, I being among them, were ushered into one of the courtrooms after being called to serve. I think the courtroom for the case was on the second floor. I remember being directed into the jury box where lawyers asked us questions in front of the judge. Shortly after, 12 of us were chosen and the case began. The courtroom atmosphere was new for me, as I had never been inside the Torrance Courthouse, and being seated as one of 12 jurors was a surprise. The case before us was a sordid one about a woman charged with prostitution, pandering and pimping. The woman, who was accused of these charges, entered the courtroom in a business suit with her hair in a bun and without a whisper of makeup. Her attorney was very competent, as was the prosecuting attorney. The case against her was extensive, long, and, dare I say, enlightening. Who knew? The attorneys made use of charts, which showed maps, photographs and timelines. I can remember deliberating in the jury room as we studied the evidence and meticulously discussed the case. Everyone was serious about the job entrusted to us and we painstakingly worked until we had a unanimous verdict. Sitting on that jury gave me a renewed respect for our judicial system and I felt I had done my civic duty. So why is it that I cringe every time I receive another summons to appear? Does anyone else feel as I do? I decided to find out what others think about jury duty. Anita Kenyon told me she served on a jury once. “It was a three-week case in Santa Monica,” she recalled. It was a real estate civil litigation and I was very honored to be on this case because…I was on a jury with lawyers, engineers, a pharmacist, a writer, and it was wild. It was fun to see lawyers in action ‘cuz I’ve never experienced that.” Anita went on to tell me that she made two good friends while serving on this particular jury. Each day, during their one-and-a-halfhour lunch, they visited and got to know each other and they are friends to this day. Kris Lynch told me that around, 2000 he was called for jury duty at the courthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. “I did not want to be there at that time,” he said. “It was during the time when Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams was being tried. I was scared to be Downtown. I was there for two days, but didn’t get chosen for a trial.” That evening, I called my brother and he told me he was chosen as part of a jury for a trial that lasted nearly a month. “It was a sexual assault case… I don’t want to go into the details… we were on the case a month. It was a calendar month I served. Even though it seemed like a long time, I knew I had to do it. I did my civic duty,” Tommy said. The next morning, I happened to ask a stretch exercise class if anyone had ever served on a jury and two people immediately spoke up. Ron Schroeder told me he remembers when he served long ago when you had to be available for two weeks. He told me, “I had one murder trial one week and another Justice for All. murder trial the next.” What startled him was when he looked out the courthouse windows, he actually recognized and spotted the house where one of the murders took place! Then, Bonniegay Bacon told me she was contacted by telephone by an attorney in another state who happened to be gathering information for a court case. That sounded odd to me, but she assured me the inquiry was legitimate and she answered all the questions. That afternoon, Gail Shota told me she was called to serve on a jury on the last day of her eligibility. Allen Teng said, “I was on a jury about five years ago and overall the experience was okay.” From my research asking people if they served on jury duty, I was surprised that most people had been summonsed, but not everyone had been chosen to participate on a jury. This evening, I again called the 800 number listed on the Summons for Jury Service I had received in the mail--punching in my jury ID number and pin number when asked, and then listening as the recorded voice informed me I did not have to report to the courthouse in the morning. I have been calling each evening, entering my numbers and listening for the directive. So far, I haven’t been ordered to the courthouse, but who knows if this week I will be sitting on a jury or not? My civic duty, as I see it, is to be available to serve, and I am. It used to be easier getting excused from jury duty, but no longer. A Torrance resident and well-known judge told me that the idea behind requesting so many people for the jury pool was to secure a cross-section of the public for juries--making each trial as fair as possible. That makes sense. Whatever happens this week, if I am required to report to the courthouse or not, I feel I am now “jury ready.” Update: Just as I was finishing this column, I took a break and called in to the automated check-in and guess what? I have to report to the Torrance Courthouse tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. sharp in enough time for a security check. I am ready and consider myself a citizen well-prepared to serve. I won’t know if I will be seated on a jury until tomorrow, but in any event, I am ready…jury ready! • U.S. Skies from front page cited their loss of privacy, while aviation safety groups said the additional noise would make flight crews’ jobs more difficult. One commenter said terrorists might find a way to exploit the technology. People used “strong language” to describe their dread about being confined on a domestic flight with nowhere to escape a phone conversation in the next seat or row, the department said. International carriers do allow passengers to make and receive voice calls, but not within 250 miles of the U.S. It’s widely understood that Americans like the cabin quiet and free of loud talking. Allowing Wi-Fi technology aboard planes would “create air rage incidents by disgruntled passengers, place additional strains on flight attendances, and intrude on privacy and opportunities to sleep,” passengers and organizations warned the federal transit agency. Despite the almost unanimous opposition by the flying public and pilots and attendants, the Transportation Department has come back with a more nuanced proposal that reads like in-flight phone conversations are a foregone conclusion. Like before, the DOT is asking for public comment. Transportation officials say they’re aiming to protect passengers with a new proposal to require domestic airlines to tell customers before they book a seat that phone service is going to be available. The cost of in-flight phone service is expensive, yet regulators believe that Wi-Fi operators will find ways to lower the costs as technology is introduced. Even the Federal Communications Commission, which hasn’t wavered on the restriction of nearly three decades ago, says it will reconsider. This more-nuanced rule would regulate voice calls on an aircraft as a “matter of consumer protection, rather than … ensuring aviation safety or preventing cellular interference with ground networks,” the DOT explained. It leaves open the possibility the public and unions again will reject the idea without specifying if the department will be See U.S. Skies, page 8 Torrance Refinery Seeks New Members for Community Advisory Panel The Torrance Refining Company is seeking new Community Advisory Panel (CAP) members. The CAP is a representative group of Torrance neighbors and local leaders who participate in meetings with refinery management on plant operations and the community. CAP members will serve a twoyear term through December 2018. Public members of the CAP includes neighbors, local business owners and employees, and others from the community. City representatives includes Torrance Fire and Police Department representatives. Eligibility: Applicants must be a Torrance resident and/or work in a Torrance-based business, or work in or be a member of a community organization that is based in Torrance. Application: Interested individuals must provide the following information via mail to Torrance Refinery Community Relations– CAP, 3700 W. 190th Street, Torrance, CA 90504, or email to: Gesuina.Paras@pbfenergy.com. The application form is also available electronically on the company website at www.torrancerefinery.com. Applications must be received by January 30, 2017. Questions: Call the Torrance Refinery’s Community Relations Department at (310)212-1852. Torrance Refinery Community Advisory Panel 20 1 7 18 AP PL I C A T I O N FORM n Name n Identify the business/organization you represent n Address: Home/Business/ Organization n Telephone: Cell/Home/Office n Email n Describe your involvement in civic/nonprofit/professional organizations n Provide a statement expressing your reasons for wanting to serve on the CAP www.TorranceRefinery.com
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