Riverside could equip code enforcement officers with body-worn cameras, expand enforcement into evenings and weekends and change how complaints are prioritized as the city considers reforms following allegations that two former supervisors harassed street vendors.
The Economic Development Committee on Thursday directed staff to continue researching those and other changes before returning with recommendations for the full City Council.
For residents and businesses, the changes could affect when officers respond to noise, parking, property maintenance and other complaints, as well as how encounters are documented. No new policies were adopted Thursday.
The discussion follows a city-commissioned investigation that alleged two former code enforcement supervisors spent years harassing mostly immigrant street vendors, including entering homes without warrants, seizing property and impersonating peace officers. Both employees named in the investigation no longer work for the city.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson called the Community and Economic Development Department "toxic" in June and sought an independent review of its policies, staffing and culture. Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes asked that the vendor enforcement issue, including past fines and fees, be referred to the Economic Development Committee.
"We are not pretending it didn't happen," Committee Chair Steven Robillard said Thursday. "We are saying, 'Yes, it did happen. Here's the positive change that we are doing to make sure it doesn't happen again.'"
"I think we owe it to the people to have that transparency, to know that we're taking it very seriously," Robillard said.
Code Enforcement Manager Chris Pullin said Riverside has eight officers assigned to geographic areas across the city, with three senior officers providing oversight and reviewing cases.
Officers generally respond to complaints rather than proactively searching for violations, Pullin said. The exception is when an officer observes an immediate health or safety concern.
The division currently has 2,111 open cases. Public nuisance cases involving issues such as trash, debris and landscaping make up the largest share, followed by unpermitted construction, substandard housing and homelessness-related cases. Seventy-one open cases involve sidewalk vendors.
Staff is considering whether some lower-level complaints, such as overgrown weeds, could first be handled through mailed notices rather than requiring officers to conduct multiple inspections.
Councilmember Steve Hemenway said streamlining simpler cases could allow officers to spend more time on violations requiring detailed investigations.
"There is not a shortage of things to do," Hemenway said, describing a recent ride-along in which officers moved continuously from one complaint to another.
Hemenway also asked the city to consider staggering officers' schedules to include evenings and weekends, when residents are more likely to encounter noise and parking problems.
"For many of the residents that reach out to us, particularly after everyone's been home from work, that's when we maybe see the parking issues," Hemenway said. "Or on the weekends, that's where you may have parking and noise issues."
Pullin said the division could explore expanded hours but would need to balance that coverage with officers' ability to work with other city departments during normal business hours.
Committee members also asked staff to consider having some officers specialize in vendor enforcement while others focus on property violations.
Riverside does not have a team dedicated to sidewalk vendors. All code enforcement officers handle vendor cases using the same progressive approach applied to other violations, beginning with education and warnings before citations are issued, Pullin said.
Officers wear city polo shirts identifying them as code enforcement employees and drive vehicles displaying the city seal. They are expected to identify themselves and explain the reason for a contact.
The identification issue is particularly important because vendors have reported being approached by people posing as city employees and attempting to extort money, Vice Chair Luis Hernandez said. Hernandez suggested workshops could help vendors recognize legitimate city officers and understand the permitting process.
The number of permitted sidewalk vendors in Riverside has fallen from 37 in 2024 to 20 in 2025 and 15 this year.
Pullin said the city does not yet know what caused the decline. He suggested vendors may be deterred by the county permitting process or may conclude they can earn more operating without permits than they lose through unpaid citations or confiscated food.
Since 2024, the city has issued 103 vendor citations. Eight of 22 citations issued in 2024 were paid, compared with five of 38 in 2025 and three of 43 issued so far this year.
A first citation carries a $100 fine per violation, followed by $500 for a second citation and $1,000 for a third or subsequent citation. Vendors receive a warning and an informational brochure in English and Spanish during their initial contact with code enforcement.
Food vendors must obtain a Riverside County health permit before securing a city business tax certificate and sidewalk vendor permit. Riverside's sidewalk vending ordinance was adopted in 2021.
Eddie Torres, policy director for the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, urged the city not to outsource vendor enforcement to a private contractor, warning that doing so could create additional accountability and transparency problems.
Riverside currently uses city employees for vendor enforcement and has no third-party contractor or dedicated vendor enforcement team, Community and Economic Development Director Miranda Evans said.
Torres said his organization is conducting its own survey of Riverside vendors and offered to work with the city and county on educational workshops. He said the county health permitting process presents a significant barrier for vendors and criticized the staff report for focusing more heavily on enforcement than assistance.
"This report is mostly about enforcement, and it's less about economic development," Torres said.
Pullin said the city would welcome that collaboration.
"Our goal is to educate everybody, educate the vendors to the program, get them licensed and working in our city," he said. "If we can do that hand in hand with them, we're definitely willing to do that."
Staff surveyed 10 nearby jurisdictions and found most use similar enforcement practices. Four have dedicated vendor enforcement teams, two use body-worn cameras and one is developing a camera program.
The survey did not identify a new enforcement strategy for Riverside, according to the city report, although two jurisdictions use outside contractors.
Staff will further study body cameras, officer identification, specialized assignments, expanded operating hours, case prioritization, enforcement practices, performance reporting and funding. Recommendations will return to the City Council for consideration.
