Three months after voting to formally create the Office of the Inspector General, overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2024, the city of Riverside announced Tuesday the search for a candidate has begun.
“As of today, the recruitment is officially open,” Miriana Gonzalez, the city’s human resources director, told the Riverside City Council at the March 3 meeting. “All qualified applicants and candidates are invited to apply.”
This announcement was the latest step taken by the city to accomplish the mandate set by Measure L, which amended the city’s charter to create the role tasked with investigating fraud, waste and abuse within the city.
Following months of delays, the Riverside City Council voted 6-1 last November to formally create the office and outline the role of the inspector general. Councilmember Philip Falcone was the lone dissenter, calling his no vote symbolic since he wrote the ballot argument against the measure.
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“People have been asking, ‘Why has this process taken so long, why don’t we have a new general yesterday,’” Councilmember Steven Robillard, who headed the subcommittee tasked with establishing the office’s parameters, said during Tuesday’s meeting. “A lot of planning, a lot of effort went into defining what the role is, making sure we had the right ideal candidate criteria, and that’s why the process took so long.”
The job posting on the city’s careers website lists 17 duties for the role. They include tasks like conducting complex internal investigations, reviewing citizen complaints and preparing recommendations for potential city council action.
A brochure about the position added that the city was looking for candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree in public administration or law enforcement-related fields and eight years of management level experience with legal, criminal or investigative work. The possession of a master’s degree or certifications in auditing or fraud examining were also “highly desirable,” according to the posting.
The deadline to apply is April 5, with qualified candidates will be invited to interview with recruitment company Bob Murray and Associates which then recommend finalists for the city to interview.
According to the city’s human resources department, it could take anywhere from four to six months for the selection process to be completed once the recruitment window closes. Once a decision has been made, the council will agendize the candidate’s approval for discussion and a vote during a public meeting.
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