Public Comment — Oppose Waiving the Sunshine Ordinance
Mayor, Councilmembers:
I am asking you to vote no on waiving the Sunshine Ordinance for the proposed City Attorney employment agreement.
The staff report says this waiver is needed because the City is entering the 2026/27 fiscal year, has had an Interim City Attorney since October 2024, and wants to accelerate Mr. James Johnson’s start date. But none of that justifies bypassing public transparency. The City has known since October 2024 that it was operating with an interim City Attorney. That is not a sudden emergency. That is a long-standing management issue created by this Council’s own delays and failures.
The Sunshine Ordinance exists for moments exactly like this — when the public deserves time to review major decisions before elected officials take action. Hiring a City Attorney is not routine housekeeping. The City Attorney is a Charter Officer. This person advises the Council, interprets legal obligations, guides public records responses, Brown Act compliance, litigation strategy, ethics issues, contracts, labor matters, and the legal defense of this city.
Given this Council’s record of failure in hiring, supervising, and managing Charter Officers, the public deserves more transparency, not less.
We have already seen the high cost of poor judgment in prior Charter Officer decisions. The last City Attorney hire and the broader Charter Officer management failures have damaged public trust and created real financial and legal consequences for Riverside residents. Now, instead of slowing down, providing full notice, and holding the discussion in front of the public, this Council is being asked to waive the very ordinance designed to prevent backroom government.
That is unacceptable.
The report claims there is “no fiscal impact” associated with this action. But hiring a City Attorney absolutely carries fiscal consequences. Salary, benefits, severance provisions, contract terms, litigation exposure, and the cost of another failed hire are all fiscal impacts. The public should see the agreement, understand the terms, and have a meaningful opportunity to comment before this Council acts.
This item should be continued. It should be placed on a regular agenda with full public notice. It should be heard in the evening session, when working residents can attend, watch, and speak. The City Attorney serves the City of Riverside — not the personal convenience of the Council, not the convenience of a candidate’s notice period, and not the political schedule of City Hall.
Waiving the Sunshine Ordinance here sends a terrible message: that when the issue is important enough, this Council believes the public should get less notice, less time, and less access.
That is backwards.
The proper action tonight is simple: do not waive the Sunshine Ordinance. Continue the item. Release the full employment agreement. Place it in the evening session. Let the public review it. Let the public speak. Then do your job in full public view.
Riverside deserves transparent government — especially when hiring the lawyer responsible for telling this Council what the law requires.
