The City Council began interviewing candidates for the city's first inspector general position during a special meeting closed session Monday, with discussions set to continue during another closed session Tuesday morning as the search nears its final stage.
According to a memorandum from Mayor Pro Tem Clarissa Cervantes, the special closed session was called for the "public employee appointment" of an inspector general; the agenda states the council would consider candidates for appointment to the position and report any final action taken during the public meeting following the closed session, as required by state law.
No appointment was announced Monday, and the council is scheduled to reconvene in closed session Tuesday to continue deliberations.
The interviews mark the latest step in Riverside's effort to hire an independent oversight official charged with investigating allegations of fraud, waste, abuse and misconduct within city government.
In June, the City Council narrowed a pool of applicants to finalists following an executive recruitment process, setting the stage for this week's interviews.
The inspector general position was created as part of the city's broader push to strengthen accountability and public oversight. Under Riverside's adopted framework, the inspector general will report directly to the City Council while maintaining operational independence in conducting investigations.
"Riverside does not need another employee who answers to the very people that they're supposed to oversee," said resident Keith Nelson during Monday's meeting. "That is not independent oversight. It's simply another layer of bureaucracy dressed up to look like accountability."
He also argued the council has increasingly relied on special meetings to handle significant public business with limited public notice.
"Special meetings are intended to address genuine emergencies or matters that could not reasonably wait," Nelson told the council. "That should not become a management tool for conducting important public business with reduced notice, reduced public awareness, and reduced scrutiny."
Under California's Brown Act, city councils may meet in closed session to consider appointments of public employees, including interviews of prospective candidates.
Any final appointment and each council member's vote must be publicly reported following the closed session.
The continued closed session is scheduled for Tuesday morning. If the council reaches a decision, the appointment would be announced in open session following the meeting.
