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# Ethics Board Seeks Charter Protection, Greater Independence from City Council
- URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/ethics-board-seeks-charter-protection-greater-independence-from-city-council/
- Published: 2026-11-09T22:45:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-09T22:45:00.000Z
- Description: A draft floated at the meeting would create a nine-member panel with four-year terms and a two-term consecutive limit.
- Author: Micaela Ricaforte
- Tags: City Hall, Budget & Finance, #herald-40cef165-d2ee-8061-ae5b-c1fe3822dd76

Riverside’s [Board of Ethics](https://www.raincrossgazette.com/p/e0e86655-b75a-48b9-936d-d0d697b14906/) wants a stronger foundation for its oversight of public officials, voting Thursday to ask that its inclusion in the city charter be considered during an upcoming charter review.

The unanimous vote authorizes Vice Chair Tola Perkins to bring the request to the City Council on Nov. 17, beginning a push to give the board greater stability.

Board members discussed separating their complaint process from the council’s decision-making authority, but did not approve final amendment language or a new enforcement structure.

The discussion centered on how complaints against elected and appointed officials are reviewed — and how much control elected officials should have over the body reviewing their conduct.

Chair Gil Vega said the board’s current relationship with the council complicates its effort to build public confidence in the process.

“We’re trying to establish independence in the process,” Vega said.

The board currently reviews complaints, conducts hearings and makes recommendations to the council. Members raised concerns that the officials whose conduct comes under scrutiny can also have the last word on the board’s recommendations.

Adding the board to the charter would protect it beyond a city ordinance. Charter provisions can be changed only by voters, according to the discussion materials.

The materials also outline trade-offs: Charter provisions are harder to revise, and an amendment requires a ballot measure and election expenses.

A draft presented for discussion would establish a nine-member board appointed by the mayor and council, with four-year terms and a limit of two consecutive full terms. It would outline responsibilities including reviewing the ethics code, receiving complaints, conducting hearings, issuing findings and recommending sanctions.

That draft still describes an advisory role involving recommendations to the council. 

The discussion also explored how the board could work with the city's new inspector general, Lori Cox, who has now been on the job for a couple of weeks.

Proposed charter and municipal code language would allow the board to request investigative and audit assistance from the inspector general, seek city records subject to legal and confidentiality requirements, and collaborate on reports or recommendations.

Cox said her office can access city records and documents but does not have subpoena power. She also cautioned that investigating council members could raise concerns about perceived bias because she reports to the council and mayor.

“I can certainly be objective in investigating and I’ve done that throughout my career,” Cox said. "But the perception of...a conflict, of bias, of unfairness, I think will be there just...by virtue of where I sit. So I think that process needs to be discussed further and \[we need to\] determine exactly how best to do that."

Cox said her office would serve as a resource to the board, including through policy and audit support. The city clerk explained that the inspector general would provide professional staff support while the clerk would remain the board’s staff liaison.

The office is already conducting work while developing its procedures, Cox said. That includes continuing internal audits, monitoring the whistleblower hotline and assessing risks across city operations to help determine where to focus its efforts.

The board’s immediate step is to seek consideration of the charter proposal.

The city clerk said council appointments to the resident charter review committee are expected in December, with its first meeting in January. The committee would have a window between January and May to develop recommendations for the council and would decide which proposals to take up.

Board members discussed having their ad hoc committee refine the proposal, with opportunities to seek feedback from the inspector general and city attorney’s office. Any charter amendment would ultimately require voter approval.