Riverside could get an inspector general

Riverside voters will decide whether their city will have an inspector general.

The city council on Aug. 3 voted 4-3 to place an amendment to the city charter on the March 2024 ballot, according to a statement on the city’s website.

If approved, the charter would be upgraded to include an inspector general, whose office would investigate fraud, waste, abuse and possible illegal acts in Riverside’s government and submit annual reports on its findings.

The ballot proposal was recommended by the city’s charter review committee. The office will have a yearly budget of about $500,000.

“The inspector general would have access to city records, reports, audits, reviews, plans, projections, documents, files, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, data, or other information, both hard-copy and electronic,” the statement reads. “Additionally, the Inspector general shall have access to the city council, the mayor, offices of the city manager, city clerk, city attorney, board members, commissioners, and city personnel.”
Council members considered putting the amendment on the November ballot but decided on March 2024 so more details of the proposal can be worked out, according to the statement.