Code of Ethics Adjudicating Body - Regular Meeting

Hello? There we go. So I just called the meeting to order. Let's go ahead and open it to public comment.

Pursuant to the City Council rules of procedure in order of business resolution, the members of all boards and commissions and the public are reminded that they must preserve order and decorum throughout the meeting. In that regard, members of the boards and commissions and the public are advised that any delay or disruption in the proceedings or a refusal to obey the orders of the board or commission where the presiding officer constitutes a violation of these rules. The city of Riverside is committed to fostering a workplace that provides dignity, respect, and civility to our employees, customers, and the public they serve.

Is there any public comment? One on the phone. Okay. So is there any volunteers to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? None.

Alright. Thank you, Gil. Okey dokey. Right. So let's go ahead and move on to item two, which is minutes of the March meeting.

Is there anyone who has any objection to the March meeting? Anything that needs to be adjusted? So I move that we approve the minutes for the March meeting.

I second.

I second. Okay. I was trying to even make this thing work.

Motion carries unanimously.

So let's move on to Item three, which is the Code of Ethics and Conduct workshop.

Honorable chair, members of the board, and senior deputy city attorney, Rahman Garen, and I'm here to provide a slideshow on prohibited conduct. So chapter 2.78 of the Code of Ethics of Conduct was established by the Riverside City Council, Code of Ethics and Conduct that apply to the mayor, members of the city council, and all members of appointed boards, commissions, and committees. The purpose of the code of ethics and conduct is to achieve fair, ethical, and accountability for local government in the city of Riverside. To submit a complaint, a party must either live, work, or attend school in the city of Riverside unless alleged violation took place outside the boundaries of the city of Riverside and the complaining party personally witnessed or observed the alleged violation. Public officials shall refrain from the following.

Using or divulging confidential or privileged information obtained in course of their official duties or either their own personal gain, which can be financial or otherwise, gain of others in a manner contrary to public interest and or violation of any law. An example of information that someone could obtain is say there's a contract that's gone out to bid and a public official knows one of the contract who are submitting a bid and they advise them, well this is the highest bid that's been submitted so far and this is the lowest bid. And so with that information they can submit a bid that's $5 lower than the lowest bid and possibly obtain that contract. So that's an example of using that information for someone else. Confidential privilege information can be obtained in various scenarios as a public official, which can include attorney client communications and closed session meetings discussing personnel matters, for instance hiring, evaluation, dismissal of public employees.

Another example is, say there's a director that's going to be considered for hiring by the city of Riverside. And often after the city reviews multiple candidates, they'll narrow it down and at that point they start negotiating salary. So with someone who was at that closed session meeting is aware of the salary that the city is the maximum salary the city is willing to pay, providing that information to the candidate obviously would be unfair. So those are the type of things that you have information possibly that could benefit someone else. It's a personnel matter but that's prohibited.

Also pending litigation, if there's a lawsuit, the city may be considering settling but often they'll tell the attorney, well these are the parameters in which we'll authorize a settlement. And so obviously opposing counsel having that information will be very beneficial for them, but that's also prohibited. Real estate negotiation, discussing the price, terms, the property acquisition, labor negotiations, meeting with negotiators regarding employee compensation and also confidential information, preventing the disclosure of information legally deemed confidential. Public officials shall refrain from the following. Use or permit the use of city resources for non city purposes.

For either their own personal gain, which can be financial or otherwise, gain of others in a matter contrary to public interest, or violation of any law. Public officials shall not use or permit the use of unapproved non city activities for city resources including, but not limited to money, sales or logos, allowing someone else to use their particular logo for maybe advertising purposes, Time, personnel, having their staff do activities that are not necessarily benefiting the city and is for a non city purpose. Using supplies, equipment, identification cards or badges, or facilities. Exceptions to the prohibited use of resources by public officials include when the use of the resources is available to the general public at large. So say technology, say there's free Wi Fi that's throughout the city, that would be an example, or meeting rooms that's available to the public at large and library resources.

Use is prohibited for administrative rules or regulations or policies, and approved by a majority of the City Council. So that will be if it's approved by the City Council, then they can engage in that activity. And is there any questions? Thank you for your time.

Thank you for the presentation. So no questions, no discussion, no nothing.

I have one question. Some of the things where they were hearing in television where they what it is, Betting, like betting on prediction, what is it called?

I think it's called prediction betting or something like that.

Prediction betting. So that would also include the financial, at least that's all encompassing. Right. Good. Yeah, because I hear too much about that.

Anything else? No? Alright. Let's go ahead and move on to item four. Let's open it up to public comment.

Public comment is now open for this item. Call 95182686688, and follow the prompts to access the meeting. To request to speak, press 9. When called to speak, press 6 to unmute. You can also join via Zoom. The meeting ID can be found on the agenda.

Any public comment? No. No. We're good to move forward? Okay.

So item number four is the creation and appointment of individuals to ad hoc committees that we determined to create in our 2026 work plan. The ad hoc committees that we determined administration of duties and powers set forth in. Okay. Provide training. Okay.

So the first ad hoc committee would be to to work on administration of duties and powers set forth in arm c two point zero two point eight zero point zero four zero. So that comes down to the the board of ethics, like presentations of the the first one in the work plan is the board of ethics code of ethics and conduct in front of the other committees. Right? Number

two? Okay.

So

your question I'm sorry. Your question was if the ad hoc for presenting to the boards and commissions the annual review of the code of ethics. Is that what your question?

Yeah.

I think that would fall under item two, providing training and advocacy to the board and commissions.

So this one is just to administer

The item one falls under your duties under the municipal code. So that's just an ongoing, I would say, if you choose to to form an ad hoc to maybe review items.

Or to focus in more so on a particular item. That's that's fine. As long as for it, you know, it has to be a limited scope, limited period of time. So

do we determine that we need to put together an ad hoc committee to review the code of ethics and conduct? And if so Duties and powers. Duties and powers. And if so, who would like to jump on board?

Member Fanning would

like to speak.

Oh, sorry. Go ahead.

Trying to obey the rules.

Yeah. Just raise your So

I would propose that we look at numbers four, five and six and then we can come back to the other one because we may not have enough folks to fill up four, five and six.

Well, you can be on more one ad hoc committee. It's not like one,

you know.

I understand. Yeah.

So you're going to come back to number one. Okay. So number two is to provide training and advocacy to boards and commissions. So this basically is ad hoc committee putting together to go before like the other boards and commissions as far as like presenting the code of ethics and conduct for a yearly review.

And are you guys familiar with the formation of ad hoc committees and what that entails? I think we

have two new individuals who aren't familiar may not be familiar with it. So what we do on every year is we go before the other boards and commissions and do a presentation of the code of ethics and conduct to receive recommendations, if any, for maybe changes to the code of ethics and conduct from the other boards and commissions. Does anyone think we need to put an ad hoc committee for that?

And just to expand the ad hoc committee, they meet separately from the regular board meetings. It can't be a quorum, so it has to be less than five, but generally, it's probably three. You could be on one more more than one ad hoc committee if if you desire.

I don't really think we need to determine to put an ad hoc committee together for that unless you guys wanna review some of the unless you guys wanna go over some of the information on there and change some of the process.

Is this something like you and I was working on like, you know, could that be or could that wait on the rest there?

Yeah. Would that would wait. Yeah.

Yeah.

So no? Alright.

If I may, the presentation of the review for the Code of Ethics that you did last year to every board, the hoc that volunteered and actually I think just generally somebody volunteered to attend one of those meetings. And I will be getting a schedule of when they will be agendizing that in the next two months. So I can share that with you guys if you guys are open. Now typically what our office will do, we'll put the PowerPoint together for you, which is really just a layout of the municipal code 2.78, which is the code of ethics. And you just present it to each board because the municipal code calls for all of the boards and commissions to review the code of ethics and conduct for its effectiveness.

And sometimes they have recommendations for you to consider to make changes because we'll collect them all and in August you would consider any any of those recommendations that you have to revise the code of ethics would go forward to the governmental processes committee in September. So if you don't form an ad hoc, I can always send out a schedule and see if you guys wanna plug yourselves in in some places, but we would do the presentation for you to simply present it to those boards. And if you're not available, somebody in our office would just attend those meetings for you.

Yeah. I really don't think we need an ad hoc committee just to get volunteers to to do the presentation. If you could just find plug everything in, that'd be great. Question.

Question. So are we saying that each one of us can volunteer to present to the other boards and commissions? Commissions?

Yes.

And so are we stating that we need an ad hoc for the volunteerism?

We can put an ad hoc committee together to determine all of that or, as Eva mentioned, she can just try and we can get volunteers and then she can try and plug them in as we've done in the past where it's availability and things like that.

Alright. Thank you. So

yes, no, no ad hoc committee on that? No? Okay. Alright. So the other one is create a method for public education and public outreach, including videos on the code of ethics and conduct process. So I believe I was on the ad hoc committee with Foreman and Newman. Yeah. But obviously, Foreman is no longer with us and so we need more volunteers for that ad hoc committee.

This is dealing with the public, right, to educate them?

Correct. So putting together videos or educational information to mention educating the public as to the process of the Board of Ethics, how to file complaint, that type of thing.

I'll join you.

All right. Would

that include confirming the process of how someone makes a complaint and then how it gets to the city clerk?

It would be educating someone on that process. Yes.

I like to join that.

Awesome. Alright.

I like it.

So can we make a motion as to who the membership will be And it'll be Member Thrainaut, Vega and Vice Chair Hernandez. Are we and I don't know. So there would be the three of you.

Is

You can add Cherniman may choose to say that she wants to be a part of it and we could add her later. But for now, the membership will be member three now, Vega and you. Alright. I have a motion to approve that.

So wanna make the motion, Kim? Or

I make a motion that we have mister Hernandez, mister Vega,

Thereno. Therano.

Oh, Therano. Oh, Therano. Okay. And Therano to be part of this caucus what Vice

Chair, a member member Perkins has her hand.

Oh, go ahead. Sorry.

Okay.

Okay. So

I second the motion.

Okay. You

can vote.

All right.

Motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

Okay. So the next one is proposed charter amendment to the Charter Review Committee. Member Gil and I are already on that ad hoc committee, but would anyone like to join us in the party? So this ad hoc committee was created to put forth some amendments before the before the charter committee to possibly put it before the voters if it gets passed, you know, if it goes to city council and approved for changes to the Board of Ethics to make it to give it more independence and enforcement power. Notetakers?

No? So go bite. All right. Okay. So I make a motion that Member Fanning be added to the ad hoc committee.

I second it.

Can you vote, please?

Registering.

Vote again, please.

We have to vote again.

Yes.

The motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

Okay. The fifth one is revise the board of ethics standing rules.

I would

kinda like to put an ad hoc committee together for that. Go ahead.

So I guess I'd like to know what you all think the time commitment for each of these is because that will influence what I do.

It varies depending on the individuals. You can meet once a month, twice a month. It just varies depending on the individuals on the ad hoc committee and their availability to meet. So there's no like set schedule, but obviously we would like the ad hoc committees to meet to, you know, report some progress and but there is no specific time limit commitment. I can't tell you it's like five hours or one hour.

It just varies depending on how often that ad hoc committee members determine they want to meet. So anyone interested in creating the Ad Hoc Committee to revise the Board of Ethics standing rules? No?

What does that consist of?

Can you explain a little bit?

So the standing rules are basically how you conduct yourself. They're sort of like your bylaws. So you might want to review them to make sure they're still consistent with the municipal code as there has been made there have been changes made, revisions made to municipal code in the last year or two. So you might want to make sure it all still lines up. So it's just a review of going over the standing rules and making sure that it's still consistent with the municipal code. I

think we found an inconsistency recently, didn't we? So that's an important thing because the municipal code was updated and our rules weren't. You know, the reason I asked how much time is because I don't want to overcommit, but I think this is an important one.

I understand. And if I think it's important as well so we can go ahead and form that ad hoc committee and would you like to volunteer to be on that ad hoc committee?

Yeah, I'll go ahead and do that. No more though, that's it.

Okay. Once you're done reviewing your standing rules and you guys bring it back for consideration and the Board adopts those new standing rules, you'll be done with that ad hoc and we can disband.

Yes. Okay. I move that we create an ad hoc committee to revise the Board of Ethics standing rules and that members Hernandez and, I'm sorry, Fanning be a part of that ad hoc committee. Second?

I'll second.

Thank you.

Motion carries unanimously. Thank you.

Okay. So number six, perform the annual review of the code of ethics. So is anyone think it necessary to create an ad hoc committee?

Can that be treated like what we handled on the which one did we do? The public outreach? Is it? Or I mean, the the super.

Are you thinking of the the other the like as far as the education?

Right.

Yeah. Public education and public outreach, that's something different than this. This is like the review that we do every year for the other boards and commissions. So it would be an ad hoc committee put together to see if we need to make any changes to it, right, or if we want to do something different than what we usually do as far as the normal presentation.

That is correct. Per the municipal code again, all the boards and commissions have to review the municipal code for its effectiveness. And if you have any revisions to consider as a board, separate from the other recommendations of the boards, you can form an ad hoc to review the code, bring those recommendations to the whole body and see how you want to whether you want to consider and forward those to the governmental processes committee.

Alright. Moving on.

It'll be it just be individuals going out there to the other commissions and boards or

Yeah. Just like you've done.

No. This is you as a board of ethics, as a body, your review of the code of ethics, where you as a body would make your own recommendations aside from the others. They're make every board and commission has to review the code of ethics and conduct.

This is ours.

Yes. Your recommendations.

I'll do it. That's what we're gonna do anyway. Alright.

I don't know when I'll find the time, but I'll join you in that if no one else wants to. No? No one? Alright. So I make the motion that vice chair Hernandez and member Gil Vega performed agreed the Ad Hoc Committee to perform the annual review of the Code of Ethics. Need a second?

Okay. Second.

Motion carries unanimously.

Okay. And the second to last, since we're coming back to the first one, is deliver an annual report to the City Council in accordance with the Board of Ethics standing rules. Can you kind of explain that one through the new members a little bit, please?

So annually, all the Boards and Commissions, they should be just maybe presenting or even just gathering the activities for the year of the Board, putting them into a report and we can just forward that to the city council. Doesn't necessarily have to be a presentation, just a matter of collecting those things that we did as a board and presenting it to the city council.

Well, do we necessarily a committee in order to present to put that together and present it to city council?

Not no. Not necessarily. Okay.

Any takers? I'm probably on, five already. So anyone? No? Alright. So

I'll go for it. I'll go.

You'll go for it? Mhmm. Will anyone join Vega and

Don't leave me alone.

Sir, I'll support you.

There you go. Awesome.

Alright. Alright.

I'll support you as well.

Thank you.

Okay. Do you want to go ahead and make

I make a motion to form an ad hoc committee to deliver the annual report to the city council.

Oh, including what members?

This one. Perkins Board and board member Vega. Vega. And board member Thrano.

I'll second the motion. That brings us

carries. Thank you.

Sorry. That brings us back to the first one. Number one, administer the duties and powers set forth in RMC two point eight zero point zero four zero.

I don't necessarily think we need an ad hoc committee for this one. I think that is just us being on the board and doing our duties.

I agree.

I agree. Alright. So let's go ahead and let's move on to item five. Ad hoc committee update on potential ballot measure for charter review committee consideration to chair Hernandez and member Vega. So we do have some information to report.

We did meet with Christine Gagna, Investigation Investigative Program Manager for the City of San Diego Ethics Commission. We have met with some of the other Board of Ethics Commission's in other cities in the past, but we did like a lot of the structure of the San Diego Board of Ethics and we wanted to get more information from Christina. And we were able to sit down, have a good meeting and get some valuable information to start putting together a plan to put before the Charter Review Committee. Are we able to discuss discuss any of that?

You can have a discussion about it, but you can just give an update as to what your ad hoc has found out or discovered or planning.

So what we have discovered, and this isn't anything new, is their Board of Ethics is much more independent from their city council in the sense that their investigative program manager works as a go between between the city council and the board of ethics. Complaints are brought before, you know, the city clerk. They review the investigate they investigate and and review the complaint. And then if they determine that there's evidence or one of the prohibited conduct was violated, they bring it before the code of ethics and they move forward with with a hearing. They actually don't make the complaint and the pre hearing process public, which we liked in order to maintain privacy.

So that's something that we determined would probably good to, you know, model ourselves after. There's quite a few other things that we looked over as far as their structure, and we're putting a report together to bring before the Board of Ethics to have discussions and review before we put it before the Charter Review Committee. And I think this final meeting we had was really good and it would it's really helping us put a plan together to bring before the board to have discussions to determine whether, you know, it's something we want to model ourselves after, if what's what we like, what we don't like. So yeah. Anything you want to add, Bill?

Just basically the model that was presented to us was really, that was their own development. So in our case, we're developing. And as Riverside gets bigger and more spread out and more really influential, we want to keep in mind of the public and keeping the public interest as paramount as well as having transparency too in our government and our elected officials. And so we're really kind of privileged to get this opportunity to either work with other cities. And they really kind of circumvent a lot of the, how you say, the growing pains per se.

I mean, we're going to feel pains or whatever, but not as much because as our research shows, still in a baby stage and getting all this information together and really trying to convince the public what benefits are, you know, they're gonna go through. And a lot of people, you know, don't have that understanding yet. And so we're letting you know some of the process that we're going through and that we see. But we want you to also understand that it's good to ask questions, inquire, get this that it's it's understood in in a sense where we, you know, we best serve the public.

And then, of course, the public education and outreach ad hoc committee, we haven't met, so there's nothing to report there. And of course, we barely created the other ad hoc committees. So it's on. I guess I was just too far away. That better?

There we go. So let's go ahead and is there any questions? No? Alright. Let's move on to item number six, which is board member updates.

Any updates of any meetings, any information that you guys have attended outside of the board of ethics? No? I did attend the group meeting this morning, the group of Riverside at the Civil Rights Institute, and it was interesting meeting on ways to make sure that you bring your keep your blood pressure at a good level and foods and different things to keep healthy level of blood pressure. So that was interesting. And then they talked about the governor's race.

So that was very interesting. Yeah. There was quite a few people whose blood pressure might have, like, skyrocketed a little bit. K. Anyone else? No? Okay. Item number seven, staff updates.

So I just wanted to again say that we've asked the other boards and commissions to determine whether when they will agendize the review of the Code of Ethics. Some of them go dark in July, so they might schedule it earlier in June, but as we get their schedule and I'll send out the schedule as it comes up, so that if you want to volunteer to do publish their agenda, I'll forward that agenda to you also if you volunteer to do that meeting. Some of them have different meeting times so you'll be able to see the hour schedule, the hour meeting time on the schedule. Additionally, I just want to mention since you performed some ad hocs, typically we put the ad hocs under communications to give you an opportunity to provide an update if you happen to have had a chance to meet. If you did meet and you want to present something to the Board as a whole for discussion and consideration, then you want to let me know so I can put it on discussion.

So if you have something to discuss, great. We'll put it on there. Otherwise, it'll just be kind of a standing item on communications, and that way you have a chance to report. And if you don't, we just we don't have something. Yeah. If that's helpful. And and so for the other for the ad hocs, if you want me to share your information with you guys so that you guys can email each other, choose to meet how you wish. If you're comfortable with that, just let me know.

Item number eight, items for future board consideration as requested by the Board of Ethics member. Any suggestions of anything you guys want put on agenda for us to discuss in the next meeting? Hold on. I believe we have to finish this one first and go back. Right?

Testing.

Okay. I just wanna make sure we're following the rules. Okay. Go ahead. Sorry.

Alright. Can you hear me? No. Is your light green?

Push the button in if the light is green. Okay.

It was green earlier now.

Maybe just pull it closer to you. Can you hear me now? No?

Maybe the mic isn't working.

So that mic is working now.

There we go.

Yes. So I wanted to go back, related to line number six. Just to state that I was, I participated inside the boards and commissions, celebration, well, the dinner award ceremony. And I just wanted to add that. And I was looking for all of you. So I think it was great acknowledgment for all the boards and commissions. That's all. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you.

K. When when was that?

A city clerk, can you give the exact date? It was a few weeks back.

Was it the April 30? Yes. Think so. Or the twenty eighth. I'm sorry. I'm drawing a blank, but it was a couple of weeks ago.

Yes. That was my answer.

I'm gonna get an email. Alright. So number eight. Anyone? No? So I do want to add something to next month's consent calendar is going over the report that we're putting together for the ad hoc committee as far as our plan to put before the Charter Commission so we can open it up for discussion before the board.

Am I allowed to ask a question? Yes. How will your current report for the Charter Review Committee tie into the upcoming year's work? Work?

So it won't affect anything as far as us going are you talking about you know, our presentations going before the other boards and commissions?

No, I'm talking about the ad hoc committee that I foolishly volunteered for.

Oh, no. Did she she did volunteer for the meeting? Yeah. So we will reach out to you to determine when we can meet, when all three of us can meet, and then we'll go over information during that ad hoc committee. So if there's no further questions about item number eight or anyone else wants anything put on the consent calendar? No? We're good? All right. Go ahead and the meeting is adjourned.