IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
James Johnson has been named Riverside city attorney.
Currently the general counsel for the Housing Authority of Los Angeles, Johnson is scheduled to start work in Riverside on July 17, according to a statement on Riverside’s website.
Jack Liu has been acting city attorney since Sept. 2024. He replaced Phaedra Norton, who was placed on administrative leave that month and dismissed in April 2025.
“We are pleased to welcome James Johnson to Riverside as our next city attorney,” Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in the statement. “His legal and public service experience will be a valuable asset to our organization.”
Before joining Los Angeles, Johnson worked for four years for the Office of the County Counsel in Los Angeles. He also served as general counsel for Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, and was an adjunct professor of business and criminal law at Cal State Long Beach, according to the statement.
