https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/12/15/qa-corruptions-accusations-against-the-santa-clara-county-sheriff-and-how-they-might-lead-to-her-removal/

On Tuesday, Santa Clara County’s civil grand jury formally accused Sheriff Laurie Smith of seven counts of willful misconduct, alleging she abused her authority to issue concealed-gun permits to extract political favors, and stalled an outside investigation into her office’s handling of a high-profile 2018 jail inmate injury.

A civil grand jury accusation of willful and corrupt misconduct is rarely invoked in California. Here’s what their decision means, and what comes next.