Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-02-12
GRAND JURY REPORT.
THE FORMER BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
sEvEsELY CEEsURED.
subsidizlng the Police Force Bridge Build
ing and Road work-A Depleted Treas
ury-The Experts Work-Etc

Jury of the experts is made part of the
final report. With thu exception Of this ex-
perts' report the report is given in full:
SACRAMENTO, February 10, 1888.
To the Honorable, the Superior Court Of the
county Of Sacramento State Of California: We,
heGrand Jury, beg leave to submit the following
the report OF the transactions of this body since
II has been in session at all convenient and proper
times from October 3, 1882, to February 10, 1888,
inclusive and has, it believes diligently and faith
fully given its attention TO all business brought be
fore it known to it. according to the instruction
OF this Court.
There have been presented for the consideration
of this Grand Jury 'twentyseven cases, some OF
them frivolous, and have taken the evidence OF
ninety-tcur witnesses, of which we have found
nineteen true bills and ignored seven bills, having
referred one to the next Grand Jury. Having found
six 90 for murder, one ~ for arson, one a. for
burning insured property, three ~ for perjury,
"a for rioting, and one ~ for keeping dsor-
derby house and having ignored three 81 for lar
cenY one o. for false registering, two ~ for at
tempting to extort money, and one ~ for COM
pounding felony
We will call the attention Of the Court to case
in which it was alleged that the parties engaged in
what is called running faro games were in the
habit of assessing themselves certain Sums Of money
which were used to
sUBsIDIzE THE POLICE FORCE
OF this city, and thus secure themselves immunity
State and municipal law. Upon investigation
found that assessments from $40 to $50 per month
had been levied and collected from the parties above
mentioned, to be used for some sort OF protection
We could distinctly trace the money through yari
Gus hands given place, and that appeared to be
a vanishing point; SO that into whose hands il ult
mateiy fell proved to US to be an in5olyable mys
terry As TO the moral Of the force itself, found
that there existed between the Chief and part of
his staff and also between the men themselves, a
bitter feeling of discord which must necessarily act
as bar to efficient service in the public interest,"
We felt it our duty, directly after our simpanel-
ment in view of the somewhat agitatei sconditi u
of the public mind with reference to the admnstra
ton of affairs in
THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT,
To sift the whole business as fully as possible The
investigation has been long and tedious one and
las must always be in such eases in many respects
an unsatisfactory one 1t is hardly necessary to
premise that we have been influenced by 40 ma
licious motives, nor by any desire to conceal any
wrong-doing.
business are OF loose slip shod character, and con-
sequently very wasteful. Add to this, what the
papers accompanying this report will prove, reck
less squanderng of the public fund.- and the results
are By means cheering.
THE SUPERVISORS
In many Of their transactions from the most petty
to the most important, appear in enviable light
They are invested with almost supreme powers, and
they hare used those powers-not those having
high sense of duty and responsibility to those
from whom they received their trust-but with
palpsble disregard of everything like economy, and
not only SO, but with practical contempt
tor the stgutes by which they are supposed
TO be governed. 1t can easily be imagined that
many of the Incidental expenses of the several
stituiions OF the county, through sheer careless
ness, may ruIrnp in the aggregate to unreasonable
amounts (oi which we will give illustrations here.
after but when, as in the case Of roads, bridges
etc, the law rgidly defines the course that they
hall dali ultrl
becomes
VERY SERIOUS MATTER.
Clause in Section of an Act in relation to pub
lie roads in the county OF Sacramento, approved
April l, 1876, says; Let out by contract the i'm
provement oihighways and the construction and
repair of bridges, or other adjuncts to highways
when the am ,unt of work to be done by contract
exceeds $500. Section As Of the same Act says
''No bridge, The cost of construction of which will
exceed the sum OF $500, must be constructed or re-
paired except on order of the Board of Supervisors
When ordered to be constituted repaired, the
tract therefor must be let out TO the lowest bidder
after reasona e notice given by the Board of Super
vlSors through the Road Overseer by publication for
at least two weeks in a county newspaper, and if
none then by three posted notices. one the Court
house, and at the point to be bridged and at some
other neie hboring place. The bids to be sealed,
opened, and the contract awarded, at the time spe-
Gifted in the notice The contract and bond to per-
form it must De entered into to the approval of the
Board Of Sup srvisors."
Inc Live YAK Drldge across the costumes was
rebuilt at a cost OF So liz 10, without order be-
ing made by the Board or any public notice by adj
vertising osting. TIVE of the Supervisors testi
fed that they knew nothing Of the work being done
until the den1znd for the sum above named was
presented to the Board for payment. Surely more
MARKED CONTEMPT FOR LAW
Was never exhibited by any county official in the
State We of the opinion that the guilty parties
should be he'll irresponsible for such gross violation
of their official power.
The next case Is even worse thas this-the bridge
at Hicksyille. IL was well known to the residents
OF the neighboraood that the bridge needed repair
ing renewal and it was understood that it would be
rebuilt. Ga this understanding two responsible
parties in the mme late vicinity prepared esti
mate of the cost OF construction, with the view of
competing for the job, waen it should be adver-
tised but, in the Live Oak case public notice
whatever made. Bat, nevertheless, the work
was done at cost of 1922. The estimate made by
the parties referred to was s., 500. Since the i'm
parchment OF this jury, member from that part of
the county has had two separate estimates made by
competent and disinterested parties, which give
in detail The first gives 81, $50 feet OF lumber, at
So, 81 1856 iron work, S10S labor S312 net cost
SO, 056 ada 10 per cent S305 total 50 361. The
next gives 10000 feet OF lumber, at so, % 42o
labor, Sl,120 nails, $40; bolts $780, total So 7S0.
Two aft 1avits have been handed in to us by the
parties referred to above, which we annex TO this
report, marked respectively exhibits and B. The
first and lowest estimate is by continually
engaged in bridge building, and likely to be the
is difference of 2,542 between them aud the bill
allowed by the S lperyisors.
1t is well known to practical men that the esti-
mates for work of this character, in view of the
mplcity OF its nature always very close to each
other, no matter how many competitors there may
be. In this every member Of that Board should
have known that the bill was quite unreasonable.
We can hold
NO ONE OF THEM BLAMELEss
In the matter. 1t was clearly the duty of even a
IL
exorbitant demand. The same irregular methods
disclose themselves in all matters pertaining to the
county highways In Road District No. IL, 81, SSS 10
were expended, with no pretense of confofmance
with the statutes above quoted. In addition to
these glazing nfractions almost total disregard
has been paid to the law providing for proper dis.
burseent Of the several funds Section of folio ZIG
of the statutes of lS7l-2 slys: "The money OF
any one fund shall only be used for the purpose of
that particular fund" In violation of this road
warrants have been drawn during the last two years
from the general fund, amounting to s2,791 ~.
FOR THE REPAIRS OF VARIOUS BRIDGES
During the last two years there drawn from the
general fund S. 075 20, in violation of the above
provision and, in addition, 50 172 10 were paid in
November 1850, for the Live Oak bridge. Section
4070 of the Political Code says: =" The Board must
not for any purpose, contract debts or liabilities
except in pursuance Of law or under ordinances of
their own adopted in accordance with the powers
herein conferred and whenever debts and liabilities
have been created which, added to the salaries of
county o4cerS ana oJner estimated liabilities fixed
by law for the remainder OF the year. equal in the
aggregate the revenue OF the county for current ex
pensss, no further allowance of any sc6ounts must
be made" But it appears to have had ne restrain
ing effect whatever on the Board. The McCracken
and Arcade bridges were
BUILT IN FIAGRAET VIOLATION
OF this provision. Under such reckless expenditure
it Is little wonder that The revenue Of one year IS
so spesk, mortgaged TO the illegally contracted
debts OF the preceding On the Isl of January
1898, there we're outstanding warrants on the gen,
ersl fund amounting to S2l, 744 90; interest on
same, S4l9 AZ; on hospital fund, SLIPS SO inter
ess same 1924 Is on general road fund, IS l43 81
total of SIS G57 AZ, to be paid out OF the current
years revenue thus compelling the present Board
to pur ne the same policy or suspend some fuuc.
tons of the county government. Anywhere near
the ratio Of expenditure for the year the
last
WILL EXHAUST THE FpSDs
By the lst of August at the i4test tses IN of an
Act in relation TO the President aud Clerk Of the
Board Of SUPERVISORS of Sacramento fountY, found
on folio III of statutes Of Is71-2, says: :" la adj
dition TO the fees allowed by law the Board of
Supervisors are hereby authorized to How to the
President OF the Board compensation not ex-
ceeding IS for each day ne essarily employed when
said Board is not in session; provided, however,