6 Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review of the City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Altmayer Consulting, Inc. April 2026 R
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2 I. Executive Summary This report presents the results of our performance assessment and financial expenditure review of the City of Riverside’s Office of the City Attorney (“Office”). The review evaluated organizational effectiveness, staffing and workload alignment, service delivery, internal management systems, client satisfaction, and compliance with financial policies over a three-year period. Overall, the Office is a well-managed, high-performing organization that is effectively fulfilling its mission to provide professional, ethical, and high-quality legal services to the City Council, City departments, and the community. The Office operates within a complex and evolving legal environment and has demonstrated the ability to adapt to increasing demands while maintaining strong service levels. Organizational Assessment Organizational Structure The Office’s organizational structure—comprising Municipal Services, Litigation, Public Safety, and Administrative Services divisions—is consistent with industry best practices and comparable public law offices. This structure promotes subject matter expertise, efficient allocation of work, and strong supervisory oversight. Conclusion: The Office is effectively organized by functional area, allowing for enhanced specialization, improved workload management, and professional development within each division. Staffing, Workload, and Staff Development Over the review period, the Office implemented targeted staffing increases, particularly within the Litigation and Administrative divisions, in response to increases in workload, including a rise in litigation cases. These adjustments have helped maintain manageable workloads and improve the timeliness of the services it provides. The Municipal Services Division also demonstrated increased efficiency in completing assignments following the addition of staff. Nevertheless, the increased workload associated with handling liability claims and pursuing Gun Violence Restraining Orders may warrant consideration for additional staffing in both the Litigation Division and the Public Safety Division. The Office has established a strong foundation for staff development through mentoring, internal training (including its Municipal Law Academy, Litigation and Trial Academy, and Paralegal Refresher Training Series), and selective participation in external training City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3 programs. These efforts contribute to a collaborative culture and support professional growth. Conclusion: Staffing levels are mostly appropriate and responsive to workload demands, and staff development programs are effective in maintaining a skilled and capable workforce. Recommendation 1: The Office is advised to evaluate the possibility of augmenting personnel within the Litigation Division to manage the rising volume of liability claims, as well as within the Public Safety Division to accommodate increased responsibilities related to GVROs. Conclusion: The Office has effective staff development and training model but lacks a comprehensive strategy and policies for AI training and use in legal practices. Recommendation 2: Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into legal operations, including staff training, and evaluation of appropriate tools. Strategic Planning and Succession Management The Office has established clear mission and vision statements and has aligned its activities with the City’s broader strategic plan. It tracks performance through defined metrics and reports progress through annual reports, demonstrating a strong commitment to transparency and accountability. Succession planning efforts include mentoring, knowledge sharing, and fostering a positive workplace culture. Employee feedback indicates high levels of collaboration, trust, and job satisfaction. However, opportunities for advancement—particularly for paralegals and legal support staff—are limited due to the Office’s size and classification structure. Conclusion: The Office has implemented an effective strategic planning action plan and has taken meaningful steps toward succession planning, supported by a strong organizational culture. Conclusion: The Office has addressed succession planning by developing a talent pool through training and mentorship, promoting a healthy workplace culture, and developing strategies to transfer institutional knowledge amongst its employees. While productive, these strategies are not fully successful as they do not address the overall lack of opportunity for advancement, largely due to the size of the Office and a limited number of job classifications.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Recommendation 3: Create additional senior-level classifications or career pathways for paraprofessional staff (e.g., senior legal secretary, paralegal supervisor) to enhance retention, professional development, and leadership opportunities. Project Management, Management Systems and Business Continuity The Office utilizes modern case management and claims systems to track assignments, deadlines, and expenditures. These systems, combined with structured workflows and regular internal meetings, support efficient project management and accountability. Business continuity practices, including cloud-based systems and remote work capabilities, are in place and effective. Conclusion: The Office has implemented key practices to promote successful project management of its caseload. Conclusion: The Office has implemented strong project management practices and systems that promote efficiency, transparency, and continuity of operations. Legal Compliance and Risk Management The Office demonstrates a strong commitment to compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including public transparency requirements, ethics regulations, and professional standards. It provides guidance and training to City officials and staff to help ensure compliance across the organization. Conclusion: There is no evidence of non-compliance; the Office effectively fulfills its legal and ethical responsibilities. Recommendation 4: Continue to provide periodic and frequent refresher training for City Councilmembers and members of boards and commissions on key legal requirements (e.g., Brown Act, conflicts of interest) to reinforce compliance and reduce risk. Client Communication and Collaboration Feedback from City departments and leadership indicates high levels of satisfaction with the Office’s responsiveness, professionalism, and expertise. Communication practices have improved significantly in recent years, contributing to stronger relationships and trust between the Office and its clients. However, some clients expressed a desire for more proactive engagement, including early identification of emerging legal issues and more solution-oriented guidance.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 5 Conclusion: The Office employs multiple client communication strategies, resulting in high satisfaction. Conclusion: Most clients view the Office as collaborative, but some have expressed a desire for the Office to take a more proactive role in helping them find solutions to complex legal issues (e.g. identifying alternative strategies that may be legally viable that will achieve similar results). Recommendation 5: The Office should further strengthen collaboration with clients by better understanding their expectations and delivering more proactive, innovative services. Financial Expenditure Review The financial review focused on non-personnel expenditures, including purchasing card transactions, litigation disbursements, professional services, and settlement payments. The review found that expenditures were generally appropriate, properly authorized, and compliant with City policies. Minor documentation discrepancies were identified in a small number of purchasing card transactions; however, these issues were not material and did not indicate misuse of funds. Conclusion: The Office demonstrates a high level of compliance with financial policies and maintains appropriate internal controls over expenditures. Conclusion The City of Riverside’s Office of the City Attorney is a high-functioning organization with strong leadership, effective operational practices, and a positive workplace culture. It has successfully adapted to increasing legal demands while maintaining high levels of client satisfaction and financial integrity. Implementation of the report’s recommendations—particularly in the areas of AI integration, staff advancement opportunities, enhanced training, and more proactive client engagement—will further strengthen the Office’s performance and position it to meet future challenges in an increasingly complex legal environment.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6 II. Introduction and Approach Cities and their officials are governed by a complex set of laws and regulations, and it is the role of the city attorney’s office to help guide their city through the myriads of legislative and administrative rules. City attorneys must be knowledgeable in a wide range of legal issues from human resources to land use, from constitutional law to contracts, from the Brown Act to conflict-of-interest regulations. And the legal landscape is only becoming more complicated as many municipalities struggle with how to address issues related to homelessness, the regulation of the growing and sales of marijuana, complex environmental regulations, and other emerging issues. This report is the result of a performance assessment and financial expenditure review for the Office of City Attorney (“Office”) for the City of Riverside (“City”). The approach for this assessment included three main objectives § Conduct an Organizational Assessment -- review of the core legal functions being performed by the Office to gain an understanding of the mission of the organization and evaluate whether current staffing, resources and operational practices can fulfill that mission. By gaining an understanding of the demands, culture, practices, and expectations of the Office, we were able to identify key findings and develop cost effective and productive recommendations. § Evaluate Compliance with City Policies and Procedures for Financial Expenditures -- review a sampling of the Office’s financial expenditures to evaluate compliance with the City’s and the Office’s financial policies and procedures. Our approach included the following activities and tasks: § Interviews with Office Staff – conducted 16 interviews with members of the staff to identify the Office’s core legal functions, any staffing issues related to performing their function, training and development, the use of outside counsel, and how effectively paraprofessionals are utilized. Staff included all members of senior management, and a sampling of attorneys, paralegals, risk supervisors, and legal secretaries. § Interviews with Key Stakeholders – conducted 18 interviews with representatives from the City. This group included representatives from City officials and representatives from City departments including Finance, Planning, Traffic, Police, General Services, Human Resources, Utilities, Housing and Human Services Chief Innovation Officer, City Manager, the City Clerk, the Mayor and City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7 three City Council Members. The goal of these interviews and focus groups was to assess the services provided to them and whether those services meet their needs. § Peer Agency Interviews and Research – reviewed a sample of peer agencies to compare organizational structure and staffing, training and development resources, use of outside services and technologies utilized. We worked with the Office to identify peer cities based on size, use of an in-house staff, and geography. We selected the city attorney offices for the Cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana and San Diego. The Cities of Anaheim and San Diego agreed to conduct interviews and share information directly. While the City of Santa Ana did not agree to an interview, we were able to conduct a limited review using documents in the public domain. We also conducted more generalized best practice research looking at publications related to public law attorneys and their offices. § Document Review – reviewed pertinent documents including, but not limited to organizational charts, policy and procedure manuals, job descriptions, staff development and training plans, sample work products, procurement and contract documents used for retaining outside counsel, financial records, key performance indicators, performance reviews or evaluations of the Office by its clients/stakeholders and other relevant documentation.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 8 III. Background A city attorney is the designated legal representative for a municipality. Their role typically includes the following types of roles and responsibilities: § Legal Advisor -- provide legal advice to the Mayor, City Council, and City departments on laws, regulations, contracts, and policy decisions. § Drafting & Reviewing Documents -- prepare and review ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and agreements to ensure they comply with local, state, and federal law. § Litigation & Representation -- represent the City in lawsuits and, when necessary, overseeing contract attorneys responsible for representing the City in litigation. § Prosecution of Local Violations – prosecute violations of municipal ordinances (such as code enforcement or traffic infractions). § Risk Management & Compliance – advise the City on ways to minimize legal risk, ensure compliance with public records laws, employment law, and other regulations. § Ethics & Governance Guidance – train and advise officials on ethics rules, the Brown Act, conflicts of interest, and other public law practices and issues. In short, a city attorney is responsible for protecting the city’s legal interests and helping to ensure that the City’s actions are lawful and defensible. In the City of Riverside, the position of City Attorney is a charter officer that reports directly to the City Council. The City is currently conducting a search for a new City Attorney. At the time of the review, the Office had a budget of 45.5 positions (FTEs) with a total of 44 filled positions. The mission of the Office is to provide “professional, ethical, high-quality legal services to the City Council, Boards and Commissions, and City staff for the benefit of all. Working as a team with individual strengths and collaborative efforts, we strive to achieve our united goal of serving our community and making the City of Riverside a better place to live, work and play. This study evaluates how efficiently and effectively the Office fulfills its listed roles, responsibilities, and mission. Our findings and recommendations are set forth below.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9 IV. Findings and Recommendations The following sections outline the results of the Office's performance assessment. The content is organized into two parts: (1) an organizational assessment that presents our key findings and recommendations about the Office’s overall effectiveness and capabilities, and (2) a financial expenditures analysis focusing on non-personnel costs over the past three fiscal years. A. Organizational Assessment This section provides our evaluation of the Office's performance, including key findings and recommendations related to the following areas of focus: § Organizational Structure § Staffing and Staff Development § Strategic and Succession Planning § Project Management, Management Systems, and Business Continuity § Compliance with Applicable Federal, State and City Regulations § Interdepartmental Communication and Collaboration 1. Organizational Structure The Office is structured into four divisions, each reflecting subject matter expertise and legal function. The three legal divisions are managed by an Assistant City Attorney, while the administrative division is directed by an Administrative Services Manager. The duties and responsibilities of these divisions, along with our analysis, are detailed below: Municipal Services The Municipal Division serves as chief legal advisor and counsel for the City and its officials. The Division’s responsibilities include providing legal advice to the City Council, as well as each of the City’s departments, committees, boards and commissions. The Division’s goal is to provide knowledgeable advice about the unique aspects of each function within the City based on the specialized areas of the law applicable to them. This unit has six assigned staff including an Assistant City Attorney, two Senior Deputy City Attorneys, two Deputy City Attorneys and a paralegal.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 10 Litigation The Litigation Division defends the City and its employees against legal actions arising from their official duties. Examples of the types of cases handled by the Litigation Division include personal injury cases, civil rights actions, employment disputes, breach of contract, inverse condemnation, workers’ compensation, and any challenges to the City’s municipal code. The Division is also responsible for investigating and responding to all pre-litigation claims submitted to the City. In addition to defending claims and lawsuits against the City, the Litigation Division is responsible for filing actions against third parties to seek reimbursement for damages to the City or to otherwise protect its interests. The Litigation Division has seventeen total staff overseen by an Assistant City Attorney including three Senior Deputy City Attorneys, four Deputy City Attorneys, five paralegals, a Risk Supervisor, two Risk Management Specialists, and an Office Specialist. Public Safety The Public Safety Division is responsible for nuisance abatement strategies, including addressing issues such as distressed properties, unpermitted activities, and other disturbances. The Division works with the police, fire, and code enforcement to identify and eliminate sources of nuisance that can detract from the well-being of the residents of the City. The Division has seven total staff including an Assistant City Attorney, three Senior Deputy City Attorneys, two Deputy City Attorneys and a paralegal. Administrative Services This Administrative Services Division handles all administrative responsibilities including working with the City on issues of technology, finance, budget, and human resources that impact the Office. This unit has fourteen staff and is overseen by an Administrative Services Manager and includes Legal Support Specialists and Legal Secretaries. Set forth below is the organizational chart for the Office during the time of this review:
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 11 Exhibit 1: City of Riverside, City Attorney’s Office Organizational Chart 2025 The Office is currently holding a vacancy of a secretary in the Litigation Division Interim City AttorneyRebecca McKee-ReimboldInterim City AttorneyRebecca McKee-Reimbold Acting Assistant City Attorney Litigation Divisionn
Nadin SaidActing Assistant City Attorney Litigation Divisionn Nadin Said Assistant City Attorney Municipal Services Division Susan WilsonAssistant City Attorney Municipal Services Division Susan Wilson Assistant City AttorneyPublic Safety Division Jack LiuAssistant City AttorneyPublic Safety Division
Jack Liu Administrative Services Manager Administration Hector VillegasAdministrative Services Manager Administration Hector Villegas
Sr. Deputy City AttorneyGreen Team
Charles MayrSr. Deputy City AttorneyGreen Team
Charles Mayr
Sr. Deputy City AttorneyBlue Team
Heather GraySr. Deputy City AttorneyBlue Team
Heather Gray
Deputy City Attorney IIGreen Team
Judith GallardoDeputy City Attorney IIGreen Team
Judith Gallardo
Deputy City Attorney IIGold Team
Jessica Rico-ZuberDeputy City Attorney IIGold Team
Jessica Rico-Zuber
Deputy City Attorney IOrange Team
Victoria WyattDeputy City Attorney IOrange Team
Victoria Wyatt
Deputy City Attorney IGold Team
Cecilia RojasDeputy City Attorney IGold Team
Cecilia Rojas
Paralegal Workers Comp Team
Christine HoukParalegal Workers Comp Team
Christine Houk
Paralegal Blue Team
Kimberly OehlertParalegal Blue Team
Kimberly Oehlert
ParalegalGreen Team
Maggie WilkersonParalegalGreen Team
Maggie Wilkerson
Paralegal Orange Team
Yesenia GuerreroParalegal Orange Team
Yesenia Guerrero
ParalegalGold Team
Vee BeauregardParalegalGold Team
Vee Beauregard
Risk SupervisorClaims Team
Alissa CastilloRisk SupervisorClaims Team
Alissa Castillo
Risk Management SpecialistClaims Team
Donald DelgadilloRisk Management SpecialistClaims Team
Donald Delgadillo
Risk Management SpecialistClaims Team
Gonzalo DelgadoRisk Management SpecialistClaims Team
Gonzalo Delgado
Sr. Deputy City Attorney Workers' Comp Team
Charles HoffmanSr. Deputy City Attorney Workers' Comp Team Charles Hoffman
Office Specialist (Temporary)Claims Team
Chantel StricklinOffice Specialist (Temporary)Claims Team Chantel Stricklin
Sr. Deputy City AttorneyAnthony BeaumonSr. Deputy City AttorneyAnthony Beaumon Sr. Deputy City AttorneyRuthann SaleraSr. Deputy City AttorneyRuthann Salera Sr. Deputy City AttorneyTom ChisumSr. Deputy City AttorneyTom ChisumDeputy City Attorney IITarren TorresDeputy City Attorney IITarren Torres Deputy City Attorney IISean MurphyDeputy City Attorney IISean Murphy ParalegalChristie GomezParalegalChristie Gomez
Sr. Deputy City AttorneyRahman GerrenSr. Deputy City AttorneyRahman Gerren Sr. Deputy City AttorneyDebra CookSr. Deputy City AttorneyDebra Cook Deputy City Attorney IIJacob GuerardDeputy City Attorney IIJacob Guerard Deputy City Attorney IJacob CastrejonDeputy City Attorney IJacob Castrejon ParalegalAnelle SnowballParalegalAnelle Snowball
Legal Support SpecialistAdministration
Tiffany BurtonLegal Support SpecialistAdministration
Tiffany Burton
Legal Support SpecialistAdministration
Courtney JonesLegal Support SpecialistAdministration
Courtney Jones
Legal Secretary Litigation / Blue Team
Erin SummersLegal Secretary Litigation / Blue Team
Erin Summers
Legal Secretary Litigation / Blue Team
Beverly UgoaguLegal Secretary Litigation / Blue Team
Beverly Ugoagu
Legal Secretary (Part-Time)Litigation / Green Team
Karen MooreLegal Secretary (Part-Time)Litigation / Green Team Karen Moore
Legal Secretary (Part-Time)Litigation / Gold Team
Anne Moreno Legal Secretary (Part-Time)Litigation / Gold Team Anne Moreno
Legal Secretary Litigation / Gold Team
Annamarie MadrilLegal Secretary Litigation / Gold Team
Annamarie Madril
Legal Secretary Litigation / Orange Team
Christina Perez-CotaLegal Secretary Litigation / Orange Team Christina Perez-Cota
Legal Secretary Municipal Services
Elaine RoyleLegal Secretary Municipal Services
Elaine Royle
Legal Support Specialist Municipal Services
Justin VuongLegal Support Specialist Municipal Services Justin Vuong
Legal Secretary Public Safety
Theresa ArredondoLegal Secretary Public Safety
Theresa Arredondo
Legal Secretary Litigation / Workers' Comp
Liz HerreraLegal Secretary Litigation / Workers' Comp
Liz Herrera
Legal Secretary Public Safety
Maria PezerLegal Secretary Public Safety
Maria Pezer
TOTAL BUDGETED FTE: 45.5TOTAL ASSIGNED: 43.25
VACANCIES: CITY ATTORNEY SR. DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY (LITIGATION) City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 12 We compared the Office's organizational structure with those offices included in our peer review including San Diego, Anaheim, and Santa Ana. These offices feature distinct units dedicated to the prosecution of misdemeanors and infractions, legal advisory services, civil litigation, and administrative functions. For example, the City of San Diego had four divisions practically mirroring those of the Office: § Administrative – manages the daily operations including personnel, budgeting, accounting, IT and contracts. § Civil Advisory – provides advice on issues of public law to the city, city council, and departments. § Civil Litigation – prosecutes and defends civil lawsuits in which the city is a party. § Criminal and Community Justice Division – prosecutes misdemeanors and infractions committed within city limits focusing on cases that impact the quality of life of its residents (e.g., domestic violence, driving under the influence, graffiti, vandalism, weapon’s offenses, etc.). Our interviews with the peer agencies indicated that their organizational structures were developed with the goal of consolidating the functional roles and subject matter expertise into the major functions. This structure allows for more effective intra-departmental training and consistent oversight. The Office’s existing organizational structure is consistent with its peers which enables each division to enhance subject matter expertise and functional capabilities through mentorship and specialized training within their respective areas. This structure allows division leaders and staff to exchange lessons learned, get advice on key issues related to their areas of expertise, and share insights from recent trainings and conferences. It also allows supervisors to more effectively evaluate and allocate workloads. Conclusion: The Office is effectively organized by functional area, allowing for enhanced specialization, improved workload management, and professional development within each division. 2. Staffing, Workload and Staff Development Delivering efficient and cost-effective legal services requires maintaining appropriate staffing levels and implementing staff development initiatives to strengthen the skills and capabilities of attorneys. Proper staffing supports the management of complex public law matters, while ongoing training keeps staff updated on municipal laws and regulations. This City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 13 section reviews workload trends, current staffing levels, and evaluates the Office’s training strategies to confirm that staff have the skills needed to perform their roles effectively. Staffing The following are the staffing levels by division for the fiscal years of 2023, 2024 and 2025: Exhibit 2: Staffing Levels by Division The chart above shows that the biggest shifts during the three-year review period happened in Litigation and Administration. Litigation increased its staffing by 2 attorneys (for a total of 8) and 2 paralegals (for a total of 4) and subtracted from their staffing a part law clerk position (0.5 FTEs). The increase represented a 33% increase in overall staffing. Evaluating staffing levels in litigation departments is difficult due to the inherent unpredictability of case lifecycles, irregular demand, and the need to balance cost-efficient staffing with the need for specialized skills, especially in high exposure cases. As can be seen below, the increase in staffing within the Litigation Division coincided with a 23% increase in overall cases. Exhibit 3: Civil Litigation Caseload Given the rise in cases over the past three years, staffing increases appear reasonable. Additionally, the City Council has highlighted the importance of reducing reliance on outside counsel, underscoring the necessity for adequate internal staffing to meet future demands. Current staffing levels are corroborated by interviews with leadership and litigation staff. Over recent years, individual workloads have remained relatively stable, even as staffing numbers have increased. The growing number of high-exposure cases continues to elevate overall workload, as these matters typically require significant time and attention.
FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025
Municipal 6.25 7.00 7.00
Litigation 13.50 18.00 18.00
Public Safety 7.25 6.00 6.00
Administration 10.00 14.00 14.00
Staffing Levels by Division
FY 2023FY 2024FY 2025
Ave Monthly Total Cases 157.5 178.5 193
Ave Monthly High Exposure Cases 24.0 30.3 30.3
Civil Litigation Cases
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 14 Moreover, the Office effectively utilizes paralegals and legal secretaries for routine, task-oriented responsibilities, allowing attorneys to focus on legal research, strategic planning, courtroom appearances, and comprehensive factual investigations. Besides litigation, the Division oversees liability claims against the City. The Liability Claims team responded to 425 claims in Fiscal Year 2022 and 560 in Fiscal Year 2025, a notable increase managed by just two risk management specialists and a temporary employee. Due to the rising workload, the Office should consider hiring an additional staff member for liability claims. The Administrative Division increased its staff level by hiring 4 additional legal secretaries. These secretaries are used to support the work for all three legal divisions. In our interviews with both attorneys and legal secretaries, the additional staff was designed to lessen the administrative workloads on attorneys that had occurred over time. Additionally, with the increases within the Litigation Division, additionally support was warranted. The chart below shows that staff have become more efficient at completing assignments over the last three years, even though workload remained constant. Our interviews with City Departments made it apparent that the Departments have noticed and are satisfied with the increased timeliness. Exhibit 4: Transactional Assignments and Completion Rates The Public Safety Division currently consists of five attorneys and one paralegal. During the study period, the Division launched a campaign to increase Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs) filed on behalf of the City’s police department. Judges grant GVROs to prevent individuals who are considered dangerous from possessing, owning, or purchasing firearms. Law enforcement agencies, among others, can request these orders. In 2025, the Office filed 91 GVROs, leading to the seizure of 126 firearms—an increase compared to just 12 GVROs filed in 2023. This increase occurred at the same time the Division experienced a loss of 1.25 FTEs. The Office should consider adding an additional FTE to address the increase in workload.
FY 2023FY 2024FY 2025
Assignments Received 2,943 2,960 2,841
Completed Timely 84.1% 92.3% 90.8%
Transactional Summary Report
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 15 We sought to compare staffing levels with those of peer agencies within the Office. However, neither San Diego nor Anaheim maintains workload records for their attorneys. Consequently, conducting a meaningful staffing comparison was not feasible. Conclusion: Staffing levels are mostly appropriate and responsive to workload demands, and staff development programs are effective in maintaining a skilled and capable workforce. Recommendation 1: The Office is advised to evaluate the possibility of augmenting personnel within the Litigation Division to manage the rising volume of liability claims, as well as within the Public Safety Division to accommodate increased responsibilities related to GVROs. Staff Development Staff development ensures attorneys stay skilled for the complex demands of municipal law. Since statutes, regulations, case law, and technology change constantly, ongoing training keeps legal professionals competent and competitive. Development also builds motivation and fosters leadership within the workforce. The California State Bar requires that attorneys complete at least 25 hours of continuing education every three years as part of its Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) requirements. MCLE mandates training on legal ethics, elimination of bias, competence issues, technology and civility. While a good portion of this training can be accomplished through self-study programs, at least half of the educational requirements must be participatory (i.e., interactive or in person). Although MCLE requirements are essential and compulsory, it is vital for the Office to make sure its attorneys receive training on topics that are most relevant to the City. To supplement the MCLE requirements, the Office primarily uses four types of staff development for its attorneys: § In-House Formal Trainings – the Office conducts training sessions on legal issues directly relevant to its practice. These trainings occur through the Office’s Municipal Law Academy, Litigation and Trial Academy, and Paralegal Refresher Training Series. § Mentoring – the Office has a practice of mentoring that helps newer attorneys work through the complexities of both the practice of public law, but also how to navigate working within a municipal environment. This mentoring occurs within the divisions to allow for tailored trainings applicable to their unique practice City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 16 areas. Less experienced litigators are typically supported during their initial courtroom appearances, depositions, and trials to offer guidance and boost their confidence. Mentoring also benefits the mentor by strengthening their own leadership skills, reinforcing their own expertise, and fostering a collaborative environment and workplace. § Attendance at Outside Trainings – attorneys periodically participate in paid-for trainings that address specialized subject areas. These sessions are judiciously selected and authorized based on their relevance to the needs of the Office. Due to budget constraints, typically one attorney attends a training and later presents the materials to colleagues in the Office who deal with similar legal issues. § Lessons Learned at Divisional Meetings -- each division meets periodically (usually every two weeks to monthly) to review the status of pending assignments, address workload concerns, and discuss lessons learned from a recent case or issue that has arisen. These sessions are critical to the ongoing learning of the attorneys and provide the opportunity for a discussion of legal principles, legal tactics and operating within a municipal and political environment. One area of training that should be expanded by the Office is how to more effectively utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in their legal practice. According to the American Bar Association, 79% of legal professionals use AI and a higher percentage believe that usage will grow. AI is most used in the following ways: § Legal Research & Analysis -- platforms like Westlaw Edge and Nexis+ can assist in identifying relevant case law, statutes, and secondary sources. § Document Review -- AI can scan large volumes of documents to identify relevant evidence, identify risks, and detect patterns. This can be particularly useful in document intensive litigation cases. § Contract Review & Drafting -- AI tools such as Spellbook can assist in drafting initial versions of contracts, identifying deviations from market standards, and tagging potentially risky or problematic clauses. Based on our interviews, staff has received nominal training on the use of AI in its practices. Few staff indicated that they use AI even occasionally and those that did indicated that such use was minimal. AI offers valuable help but also presents significant risks. These risks include confidentially and data security concerns, use of inaccurate or even non-existent legal precedent, and City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 17 unintended biases being incorporated into legal arguments. These risks, however, can be mitigated. Law offices can implement data confidentiality protocols to protect against entering confidential information into unsecure AI systems. Moreover, offices can develop policies that require mandatory staff review of all AI-generated output to prevent against inaccurate legal citations or principles from being used. Conclusion: The Office has an effective staff development and training model but lacks a comprehensive strategy and policies for AI training and use in legal practices. Recommendation 2: Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into legal operations, including staff training, and evaluation of appropriate tools. 3. Strategic Planning and Succession Management Strategic Planning Strategic planning for a city attorney’s office typically focuses on establishing a mission, core values, and actionable goals with the intent to provide efficient, high-quality legal services. The Office’s vision and mission are as follows: Vision: “Our vision is to be the preeminent City Attorney's Office in the region with a talented team committed to public service and an engaged office environment.” Mission: “The Riverside City Attorney's Office is dedicated to providing professional ethical, high quality legal services to the City Council, Boards and Commissions, and City staff for the benefit of all. Working as a team with individual strengths and collaborative efforts, we strive to achieve our united goal of serving our community and making the City of Riverside a better place to live work and play.” The Office’s core values include: Teamwork, Accountability, Collaboration, Trust, Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Ethics. Building on the vision and mission, in 2022 the Office collaborated with the City’s Human Resources department to establish action items aligned with the City’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan. These actions were developed to advance key strategic priorities within the City’s Plan and include Community Well-Being, Environmental Stewardship, and High-Performing Government. The following is a summary of the Office’s high-level actions included in the plan:
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 18 Exhibit 5: Summary of Office Strategic Plan Action Items City Strategic Priority Office Action Items Environmental Stewardship Go Paperless § Transition to paperless environment § Adopt electronic forms Community Well-Being
Abatement Efforts § Support abatement efforts § Work with Code to identify problem properties § Resolve property issues with receiverships, abatements, etc. Addressing Homelessness § Continue to support Office of Homelessness § Evaluate innovative ideas to address the River Bottom High Performing Government
Training and Communication § Collaborative in-house trainings § Monthly MCLE brown bag lunch trainings § Improve the telecommuting practices § Establish mentorship program § Conduct staff survey § Create training program Client Support and Technology Improvement § Mitigate RPD, Fire and Code liability § Reduce targeted due dates for drafting and reviewing form contracts § Replace case management system Customer Service § Increase client communication, interaction and satisfaction § Conduct client surveys § Provide the highest level of customer service by being timely, accurate and accessible A successful planning effort is measured not by the ambitions of the plan, but on the results achieved. The plan cannot simply be a summary of what is important, but it must serve as a decision-making and evaluation tool that will be used to measure progress toward the achievement of an agency’s mission. During the three-year period of the City’s plan, the Office documented its progress for each of the above action items. The Office made substantial progress related to each of its stated strategies reporting close to 40 different outcomes and results from the activities.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 19 In addition to developing the action items for the strategic plan and reporting on their progress, the Office published annual reports providing an overview of its accomplishments including litigation trends, advisory work, and revenue recovery. The annual reports serve to enhance transparency by providing highlights of some of the achievements made during the prior year, but also present key performance indicators (KPIs) that represent its workload and performance outcomes. Some of these indicators include tort claims processed, lawsuits filed, amount of recovery from lawsuits filed, number of contracts prepared, ordinances and resolutions drafted, and number of legal services completed. Effective performance management involves a process by which an agency establishes a mission, goals to achieve that mission, and progress is monitored and reported. These practices and processes are essential for fostering the growth of a highly effective organization. As indicated previously, the Office has established procedures designed to enhance performance management outcomes. Conclusion: The Office has implemented an effective strategic planning action plan and has taken meaningful steps toward succession planning, supported by a strong organizational culture. Succession Planning Succession planning is intended to ensure continuity in an organization by preparing for retirements and departures. Over the past decade, the City has seen frequent changes in its City Attorney position. Such turnover is not uncommon for this category of position due to pressures from shifting city councils, active constituents, heavy workloads, limited resources, and complex community demands. This turnover, however, can create challenges for an organization that include loss of institutional knowledge and continuously changing office culture. In this type of environment, it is especially vital to have a succession planning process at all levels of the organization. Successful organizations incorporate the following type of actions to promote succession planning: § Develop a Talent Pipeline: Using mentorship and training to ready junior attorneys for leadership. § Promoting a Healthy Workplace Culture: Creating practices that support employees and foster a healthy workplace environment is essential for achieving workforce excellence and retaining staff.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 20 § Transfer Institutional Knowledge: Document significant legal advice and opinions given to clients and foster relationships that are based on the integrity and reputation of the Office, rather than on individual attorneys. The Office has taken steps in each of the three areas above. First, as described above in the section entitled “Staffing and Development”, the Office has dedicated resources to train their staff in both the subject matter of municipal law and its practices. Through mentorship, its Municipal Law Academy and the utilization of outside training resources, the Office has established processes to develop a pipeline of future leaders moving forward. Second, our interviews suggest that the workplace culture in the office is very positive. More than one interviewee stated that their co-workers were “collaborative”, “considerate”, “willing to help at a moment’s notice”, and “responsible.” When asked to describe the culture of the Office, not a single interviewee had negative feedback. Moreover, these results are mostly consistent with the findings in the Citywide “Engagement Survey” conducted in 2025. The findings included high levels (over 85%) of agreement with statements such as: § “There is effective collaboration between teams and departments at the City of Riverside” § “I have trusting relationships at work.” § “My manager treats me with respect.” § “I have good opportunities to learn and develop at the City of Riverside.” § “I can manage my job responsibilities in a way that enables a healthy work-life balance.” While the survey results were mostly positive, they did contain some areas for improvement as related to work place culture and creating a pipeline of future leaders. For example, only 55% of staff stated that they have had “meaningful discussion with my manager about career development” and only 59% stated that they “have regular conversations with my manager about my performance.” These examples, however, were consistent with the overall perceptions for all City staff and so do not necessarily represent negative findings especially considering the other survey results and our interviews. Finally, the Office does document important cases, discuss current issues within the City and share lessons learned with different departments. Each division has periodic meetings wherein they discuss these types of issues. According to our findings, these meetings are City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 21 very helpful in “understanding what is happening at the City” and “hearing about the unique needs of different departments and their staff.” Because of the above practices, Office staff is more likely than City staff overall to be “engaged”, have the “intent to stay”, experience “well-being” and “belonging” at work. From a succession point of view, it is positive that 83% of its staff expects to stay at the Office for at least 3 years and 68% expect to stay more than 5 years. The primary concern for the Office’s succession planning efforts relates to salaries, career planning, and advancement opportunities. Given the size of the Office, opportunities to promote staff are limited, impacting their salary and leadership opportunities. In interviews with staff, while there is recognition of these limitations, the lack of opportunity does result in some frustration. In response to these findings, leadership has implemented some measures to address staff concerns. To support career development, supervisors have been directed to arrange for meetings with their direct reports to discuss career aspirations and assess opportunities for professional growth within the organization. For those interested, supervisors will review the competencies required for advancement and explore strategies to provide them with enhanced decision-making responsibilities and additional leadership opportunities. Paralegals and legal secretaries are in a particularly difficult spot for advancement opportunities. Many of these individuals have been with the Office for lengthy periods of time and retain considerable institutional knowledge, but they are limited in salary and promotion because of the narrow band of classifications for the types of roles they are fulfilling. To create more advancement opportunities, the Office in collaboration with the City should consider creating additional classifications within the legal secretary and paralegal roles. These classifications could include something akin to a “Paralegal Supervisor” and/or “Senior Legal Secretary” position with a higher level of job responsibilities. These positions could potentially oversee the workloads of the other paralegals or legal secretaries and include mentorship and training roles. Conclusion: The Office has addressed succession planning by developing a talent pool through training and mentorship, promoting a healthy workplace culture, and developing strategies to transfer institutional knowledge amongst its employees. While productive, these strategies are not fully successful as they do not address the overall lack of opportunity for advancement, largely due to the size of the Office and a limited number of job classifications.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 22 Recommendation 3: Create additional senior-level classifications or career pathways for paraprofessional staff (e.g., senior legal secretary, paralegal supervisor) to enhance retention, professional development, and leadership opportunities. 4. Project Management, Management Systems and Business Continuity Project management practices and management systems in a legal office streamline the organization of legal files and promote the effective handling of legal tasks like litigation, contract drafting, and ordinance development. Similarly, business continuity for a legal office involves developing strategies to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of essential legal services. This section will review the Office’s approach to project management (including the implementation of management systems) and business continuity. Effective project management facilitates timely completion of assignments and responsibilities while ensuring optimal use of available resources. The Office has three key strategies for ensuring effective project management. First, the Office utilizes two key management systems: Neos and Origami. Neos is a management platform that centralizes case files, deadlines, and communications regarding individual projects into one platform. Neos was implemented to improve the ability to organize legal matters and allow supervisors and individual attorneys to better track progress on cases. It also allows for a central access point for the storage of legal documents, allowing attorneys and staff to more effectively search for relevant materials. In addition to Neos, the Office uses Origami for the Office’s handling of claims made against the City. Like Neos, Origami is a centralized platform to track individual claims and allows the Office to provide reporting on deadlines and the expenses associated with the claims paid. Both Neos and Origami are widely used and accepted platforms used by both law firms and insurance companies. The Office's second tool streamlines timely work delivery by having clients email service requests to a central account. One person then enters the request into Neos, preventing delays from attorneys being unavailable for assignment review. Once the request is entered into Neos, a supervising attorney assigns the task to an individual attorney for completion. The system sets a default two-week due date for assignments such as consultations, contract reviews, claims, or litigation responses, but the Office accommodates “rush” assignments where appropriate. Attorneys receive prompts on both the assignment and its key deadlines. Supervisors can review and track assignment completion. Interviews with Office clients indicate improved response times for departmental requests, which is supported by the faster responses to transactional requests (see Exhibit 3 above).
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 23 The third project management tool used by the Office involves regular meetings within each of the three legal divisions. These meetings include status updates on existing cases/projects, feedback on difficult issues, lessons learned, and training issues. Supervisors use these periodic meetings to both check on the progress being made on existing assignments and to assess the workloads of the individual attorneys and staff. Technology supports effective project management, but in-person meetings between staff and supervisors remain essential for evaluating performance, ensuring quality, and providing necessary support. Conclusion: The Office has implemented key practices to promote successful project management of its caseload. The Office’s business continuity planning is mostly driven by the City’s Innovation and Technology Department. The Office’s practices to ensure business continuity in the event of a disaster include making mission-critical systems cloud-based, securing existing data, training staff on emergency protocols, and establishing remote work capabilities. Each of these practices is designed to promote the ability of staff to both access critical files and allow work to continue. Conclusion: The Office has implemented strong project management practices and systems that promote efficiency, transparency, and continuity of operations. 5. Compliance with Applicable Federal, State and/or City Regulations City attorneys in California must comply with a complex framework of local, state and federal laws focusing on among other things government transparency, ethics, and conflict of interest. These laws and regulations include the Brown Act, the Public Records Act (PRA), conflict-of-interest codes including the Political Reform Act, and the California Rules of Professional Conduct. These laws are central to public law in California. The Office safeguards compliance with applicable laws and regulations by regularly training its attorneys on key public law mandates. This training allows the Office to provide guidance and occasional training to City staff, commissioners, boards, and the Council to support ongoing compliance with relevant regulations. By doing so, the Office is fulfilling its legal responsibilities and working to ensure the City and its officials are also in compliance. One recurring theme in our interviews with the Office’s clients and stakeholders was the desire to have more regular trainings of those who serve on the City Council, and the various boards and commissions supported by the Office. Even those who have served in these positions for an extended period stated that it would be beneficial to have occasional updates City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 24 and reminders on these types of issues to avoid officials unintentionally violating one of these complex regulations. In addition to complying with various public laws within the Government Code, city attorneys must adhere to California’s Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC), which cover a wide range of ethical obligations. One rule in the CRPC particularly relevant to city attorneys is the “client rule” (CRPC Rule 1.13). CRPC Rule 1.13 dictates that an attorney representing an organization such as a governmental agency represents the entity itself, acting through its authorized constituents (i.e., the City Council), rather than individual departments within the City, its officers, or its employees. A city attorney must act in the city's best interest, reporting up the chain of command regarding legal violations. Interviews suggest that the Office consistently places the City's interests above those of departments or employees. As an example, while occasionally staff or a department may want to go to trial to vindicate the legitimacy of their actions, the Office must weigh potential litigation costs against protecting departments from unsubstantiated claims. Similarly, departments may wish to pursue projects based on their interpretation of laws and regulations. The Office, however, must conduct and provide its own legal perspective which may not align with the department’s interpretation. Ultimately, it is the Office’s duty to offer the City Council sound legal advice and highlight all relevant risks. During our interviews with the departments, participants recognized the Office's role and, in several instances, noted that the Office tried to communicate their differing viewpoints and attempt to find consensus. Conclusion: There is no evidence of non-compliance; the Office effectively fulfills its legal and ethical responsibilities. Recommendation 4: Continue to provide periodic and frequent refresher training for City Councilmembers and members of boards and commissions on key legal requirements (e.g., Brown Act, conflicts of interest) to reinforce compliance and reduce risk. 6. Client Communication and Collaboration City attorney offices must communicate effectively with their clients—including city council, departments, and staff—to ensure legal strategies align with municipal policy goals. This approach helps officials and staff make informed decisions, promotes transparency about risks, and builds trust throughout the governance system. We interviewed 18 departmental staff and City Councilmembers to understand how effectively the Office communicates and collaborates with them. The interviews revealed two key findings: (1) the Office has made City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 25 substantial progress in enhancing its communication with clients in recent years; (2) clients expressed a desire for the Office to adopt a more proactive approach to training officials and to demonstrate greater innovation in addressing legal matters. How the Office Communicates with its Clients The Office communicates with its clients through multiple channels. Office attorneys are assigned to specific departments, providing clear points of contact for inquiries or service requests. Additionally, the Office schedules regular meetings with most of its clients to review ongoing litigation and address emerging departmental issues. These meetings provide updates on existing matters but also offer the opportunity for broader conversations about client satisfaction. Nearly all the Office’s clients expressed positive opinions about their relationship with the Office. Here are some direct quotes expressing clients' sentiments: § “The attorneys are extremely responsive, courteous, and professional.” § “The current leadership is forthright, upfront in how they address our issues, and they communicate well.” § “I trust them and that wasn’t always the case over the last decade.” § “We view them as a trusted partner.” These findings are consistent with a client survey conducted by the Office in 2025. The Office solicited feedback from its clients regarding both litigation and advisory services. The results were positive, with 95% of respondents indicating they were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with Advisory Services, and 91% of Litigation Division clients expressing similar satisfaction. Additionally, from a communications standpoint, 100% of Advisory Service clients rated communication as “excellent” or “good,” as did 91% of clients served by the Litigation Division. Even with the positive feedback from the surveys, the Office has continued its efforts to improve communication with its clients. The Office has implemented measures to enhance improve how it prepares clients for depositions, instituted a process to timely inform clients about staff changes within the Office, and adopted a more proactive approach to inform clients about potential assignment delays. Conclusion: The Office employs multiple client communication strategies, resulting in high satisfaction.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 26 How the Office Collaborates with its Clients Successful collaboration requires building a partnership based on trust, proactive communication, and understanding the needs of the client. Key strategies to obtain successful collaboration may include establishing direct communication lines with clients, providing legal alternatives for difficult and complex legal issues, and ensuring clients understand legal issues that directly affect them. Most clients were satisfied with the Office’s collaboration but suggested it could be more proactive. Some interviewees wanted the Office to offer more innovative advice. These clients gave two examples to illustrate this point. First, they would like to have more proactive advice about emerging legal issues. One client stated, “It would be helpful for the Office to brief departments on new laws at the beginning of January or when a significant law changes so that we are aware of these changes.” Another stated that when laws change -- either through legislation or court decisions -- they want to “make sure their interpretation of new laws was consistent with the Office’s interpretation.” It should be noted that some of this information is provided to the City through its Intergovernmental Relations Office. It should also be noted that the Office does take steps to provide updates to departments on legislative changes that may impact individual departments. Additionally, certain clients expressed a preference for the Office to be more collaborative in problem solving. These clients indicated that attorneys typically provide clients with a “legal opinion” on an issue. In other words, they wanted the Office to use their understanding of the existing legal environment to take a more proactive role in offering solutions that may help avoid or navigate through legal problems. It is neither unusual nor unreasonable for clients to expect attorneys to act as “problem-solvers.” Nevertheless, clients often hold varying expectations regarding the role of their attorneys. Some clients consider themselves to be the principal problem-solvers, seeking legal counsel from attorneys while relying on their own expertise resolve issues. Others would prefer the attorneys provide their legal advice and suggest alternative options moving forward. The most effective strategy for addressing this dynamic is for the Office to maintain proactive communication with clients about their expectations and the ways in which the Office can best meet their needs. This approach enables the Office to customize its advisory services to fit the distinct requirements of each client. Conclusion: Most clients view the Office as collaborative, but some have expressed a desire for the Office to take a more proactive role in helping them find solutions to complex legal issues.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 27 Recommendation 5: The Office should further strengthen collaboration with clients by better understanding their expectations and delivering more proactive, innovative services. B. Financial Expenditure Review The primary purpose of a financial review of expenditures is to independently verify that expenses are accurate, legitimate, and authorized. The process ensures that funds are spent appropriately, reduces fraud risk, and helps evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls. This section summarizes our review of non-personnel expenditure transactions over the last three fiscal years. The review focused on four types of expenditures to assess compliance with relevant City policies: § Credit card transactions (P-Card) § Litigation Disbursement Account § Professional Services Agreements and Purchase Orders § Settlement Agreements To accomplish this objective, we completed the following tasks: § Obtained and reviewed a list of all Office transactions for each of the above categories. § Reviewed sample expenditures within each of the four categories to evaluate whether the individual transactions met City financial policies: transactions were properly approved, served an authorized purpose, and had sufficient supporting documentation. 1. Credit Card Transactions (P-Card) The City established a purchasing card (P-Card) program for authorized employees (Policy Number 07.017.00). to make purchases of goods, supplies and certain allowable off-site services where the single purchase transaction amount is less than the established threshold required for competitive bidding, in this instance $10,000. The City’s policy excludes the purchase of certain items and services such as alcoholic beverages, fire arms, postage, cellphones, entertainment, professional services, etc. Over the course of the three-year review period, the Office had over 2,000 P-Card transactions. We reviewed all the transactions to ensure that none of the transactions exceeded the $10,000 limit. We then selected a series of transactions to review. Our selection included two-thirds randomly selected transactions, and a third of the transactions based whether the vendor was a major retailer, thereby creating a greater risk for City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 28 unauthorized purchases (e.g. Amazon, Office Depot, airlines, hotels, etc.). We reviewed a minimum of one transaction per month over the three-year period to look for whether the transaction (1) was properly approved, (2) was for an approved purposes and (3) whether a receipt or other documentation was attached electronically. The following is a chart that summarized our review if individual expenditures: Exhibit 6: Procurement Cards As can be seen in Exhibit 6 above, for each of the reviewed expenditures, the transactions were within the established spending limits, for an approved purpose and were approved by appropriate staff within the Office, in this case the Administrative Services Manager. In three of the expenditures, no vendor documentation was included within the WORKS system, the Bank of America portal that includes all the P-Card transactions. In the Credit Card Statement Date Payee Within Spending Limit Approved PurposeApprovals Receipt Attached 7/27/22 Force Science X X X X8/27/22 Amazon X X X X9/27/22 LA County BarX X X X10/27/22 Walmart X X X X11/27/22 Direct Legal SuppX X X Electronic Copy Missing/Hard Copy Provided12/27/22 PE SubscriptionsX X X Vendor Does Not Provide Receipts1/27/23 Amazon X X X X2/27/23 First Aid MarketX X X X3/27/23 Dell X X X X4/27/23 Expedia X X X X5/27/23 Simple SimonsX X X X6/27/23 National BusinessX X X X7/27/23 Sam's Club X X X X8/27/23 USDC X X X X9/27/23 Stax X X X X10/27/23 Canon Direct X X X X11/27/23 Amazon X X X X12/27/23 DRI X X X X1/27/24 Staples X X X X2/27/24 Amazon X X X X3/27/24 League of CA CitiesX X X X4/27/24 Pincus X X X X5/27/24 Westin X X X X6/27/24 Canon Direct X X X X7/27/24 Legal ProfessionalsX X X X8/27/24 PE SubscriptionsX X X Vendor Does Not Provide Receipts9/27/24 Parma X X X X10/27/24 UCLA X X X X11/27/24 Home Depot X X X X12/27/24 Direct Legal SuppX X X X1/27/25 CLE InternationalX X X X2/27/25 VCN LA CountyX X X X3/27/25Riverside Rubber StampX X X X4/27/25 United X X X X5/27/25 Hyatt X X X X6/27/25 Office Depot X X X X Procurement Cards
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 29 transaction with the vendor Direct Legal Support, a hard copy of the documentation was located during our site visit. In the other two instances for PE Subscriptions (Press Enterprise), the billing occurs through an autopay feature and no receipt is issued. The Office was able to verify that the purchases had been made legitimately and that the lack of documentation was either justifiable or they were able to locate the documentation manually. Our review indicates that the Office largely followed the City’s P-Card policy, with only minor discrepancies found. These discrepancies did not result in a finding that any of the applicable transactions were inappropriate. Conclusion: A sample review of the Office’s P-Card transactions shows substantial compliance with City policies. Any identified discrepancies were minor and did not raise concerns that the transactions were inappropriate or outside the scope of the City’s allowable purchases. 2. Litigation Disbursement The Office frequently hires independent contractors and pays court fees as part of its litigation services. Because these expenses are urgent and unique, they cannot be processed like other professional service costs. Accordingly, through the City’s Resolution No. 24101, the Office is authorized to approve contracts up to $100,000 for services in connection with existing and anticipated litigation including, but not limited to, expert witnesses, arbitrators, mediators, court transcripts, court reporters, process servers, private investigators, court filings, messenger services and other legal support services. In addition, through the City’s Petty Cash Purchases policy (Policy No. 06.006.00), the Office is entrusted with a litigation disbursement account whose funded balance is establish and reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer. This disbursement account is used for various legal expenses that are not know until the day due and payable. The process for the payment of these litigation related services includes the receipt of an invoice, approval of the invoice by the contracting attorney, entry of the invoice into an electronic request form, approval of the Administrative Services Manager and finally approval of the City Attorney.
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 30 Exhibit :7 Litigation Disbursements
As part of our audit, we reviewed all 113 litigation disbursements during the three-year review payment to ensure they were within the $100,000 purchase limitation. We also reviewed a sampling of over a dozen individual transactions to ensure compliance with existing policies. These sample transactions included expenditures in each quarter of the three-year review period and included a variety of different vendors. In every instance, we found that the transactions within Origami included the required invoice, approval from the contracting attorney, approval from the Administrative Services Manager and that the expense was for a litigation related expense. Conclusion: A sample review of the Office’s litigation related transactions shows compliance with City policies. 3. Professional Services and Purchase Orders The Office secures professional services via purchase orders for non-urgent expenses. Such expenditures may encompass expert witnesses, contract attorneys, court reporters, and other routine costs. The process for the payment of these expenses includes the receipt of an invoice, approval of the invoice by the contracting attorney, entry of the invoice into Origami, and finally approval of the Administrative Services Manager. We examined these payments to confirm they were within authorized limits, served approved purposes, bore appropriate authorization signatures, and included all required documentation.
Date Payee Within Spending Limit Approved PurposeApprovals Documentation 2/16/23 Riverside Superior CourtX X X X3/8/23 Riverside Superior CourtX X X X6/9/23 Hector Llamas X X X X1/3/24 Roger Clark X X X X3/27/24 William McKinleyX X X X1/30/25 Daniel Harmon X X X X4/4/25 Tim Mayeda X X X X Litigation Services
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 31 Exhibit 8: Professional Services and Purchase Orders Our review found no instances of non-compliance with the City’s policies. Conclusion: A sample review of the Office’s payments for professional services and purchase orders shows compliance with City policies. 4. Settlements The Office, as the City’s chief legal counsel, approves and, when necessary, submits potential litigation settlements to the City Council. Our review of settlement payments focused on identifying whether the agreement was executed with the proper signature authority, whether the payment matched the settlement and whether the settlement agreement was attached to the financial expenditure.
Date Payee Within Spending LimitApproved Purpose Approved Purpose Documentation 7/8/22 Sano X X X X1/26/23 Records SolutionX X X X4/11/23 Insight Service GrpX X X X8/17/23 MEA Forensic X X X X10/17/23 Bosco Legal X X X X1/29/24 DR Sunshine X X X X5/16/24 Onmi Invictus X X X X6/30/24 Sullivan Group X X X X11/26/24 Sano X X X X1/15/25 Exponent X X X X6/27/25 Nicolas Rose MedX X X X Professional Services
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 32 Exhibit 9: Settlements
Our review found no instances of non-compliance with the City’s policies. Conclusion: A sample review of the Office’s payments because of legal settlements shows compliance with City policies.
Date Payments Match
Settlement
Signature
Approval
Authority
Documentation
9/29/22 X X X
11/21/22 X X X
5/1/23 X X X
12/7/23 X X X
2/21/24 X X X
3/7/24 X X X
8/8/24 X X X
12/6/24` X X X
5/2/25 X X X
5/16/24 X X X
Settlements
City of Riverside, Office of the City Attorney Final Report Performance Assessment and Financial Expenditure Review April 2026 ____________________________________________________________________________________ 33 V. Conclusion The City of Riverside’s Office of the City Attorney is a high-functioning organization with strong leadership, effective operational practices, and a positive workplace culture. It has successfully adapted to increasing legal demands while maintaining high levels of client satisfaction and financial integrity. Implementation of the report’s recommendations—particularly in the areas of AI integration, staff advancement opportunities, enhanced training, and more proactive client engagement—will further strengthen the Office’s performance and position it to meet future challenges in an increasingly complex legal environment.