Thursday, January 19, 2012

Riverside County, California


Portions of this article were taken from Wikipedia.

Riverside County is one of 58 counties in California. It covers 7,208 sq mi (18,669 km2) in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside, which is the county seat. The population of Riverside County was 2,189,641 in 2010.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of California county websites

This website was most recently evaluated on 18 January 2012.

[edit] The good

  • The names and contact information for all board of supervisor members is available.[1]
  • Board of supervisor meeting agendas, minutes and video streams are available[2].
  • Budget information is posted[3].
  • Audits are posted[4]
  • Information on taxes is provided with the ability to pay online[5].
  • Information on building permits and zoning is available[6][7].
  • Current and awarded bids are posted[8].

[edit] The bad

  • Information on lobbying is not available.
  • Admistrative officials and their contact information is not listed.
  • A searchable index of public records is available[9]. However, contact information for the public information officer is not.

[edit] Budget

Riverside County's structural deficit has risen to as high as $130 million in recent years. In 2010, Moody's placed Riverside County on a negative outlook as a result of these rising deficits and shrinking reserves. The FY 2011-2012 Recommended Budget takes steps to eliminate this deficit within two years, initially cutting it to $28 million. Many of these reductions, however, have come through dipping into the county's reserve fund, which has fallen to just 21% of general fund revenue. The county also projects year-over-year increases in retirement costs of over $20 million. Also under the Recommended Budget, most departments (excluding public safety) were cut an average of 19% of net county cost. Public safety departments would be cut an average of 3%-5%. The Recommended Budget is expected to be adopted as the final budget in September, 2011.[10]

[edit] Public officials

[edit] Elected officials

[edit] Board of Supervisors

Riverside is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors.[11]

[edit] Other Elected Officials

Besides the Board of Supervisors, there are five other elected county positions.[12]

[edit] Administrative Officials

The county's chief administrative official is the County Executive Officer.

NamePosition
Bill LunaCounty Executive Officer

A full list of county agencies and departments can be found here. A county employee organizational chart can be found here.

[edit] Pensions

County employees participate in CalPERS, the state's pension system. The county contributes 8% of elected officials' salaries to the pension system, excluding those who have opted out. They are eligible to retire at age 60. Public safety employees are eligible to retire at age 50.[13]

[edit] Public employee salaries

Main article: Riverside County employee salaries

Key employee salaries are readily listed on the county's website.[14][15]

NameTitleSalary
Bob Buster1st District Supervisor, Chairman$143,031.20
John Tavaglione2nd District Supervisor, Vice-Chairman$143,031.20
Jeff Stone3rd District Supervisor$143,031.20
John J. Benoit4th District Supervisor$143,031.20
Marion Ashley5th District Supervisor$143,031.20
Bill LunaCounty Executive Officer$275,545.92
Larry WardAssessor-County Clerk-Recorder$165,727.28
Paul AnguloAuditor-Controller$165,726.91
Stanley SniffSheriff$223,165.71
Don KentTreasurer-Tax Collector$165,727.28

[edit] Lobbying

Main article: California taxpayer-funded lobbying

Riverside County spent $602,000 on lobbying the federal government in 2010, primarily in transportation related issues.[16] In 2009, the county spent $610,000 lobbying the federal government. [17]

For 2007 and 2008, the county spent $816,676 on lobbying the California legislature. [18]

[edit] Transparency & public records

In March, 2011, a statewide audit of county redevelopment agencies found that 18 county redevelopment agencies, including Riverside County, demonstrated a "lack of accountability and transparency." Riverside County's redevelopment agency is the seventh largest in the state.[19]

This year, Riverside County unveiled a new website aimed at keeping the public updated on ongoing budget, pension, and labor negotiation news.[20]

While county labor negotiation meetings currently take place behind closed doors, the Service Employees International Union has been permitting any member of the union to sit in on meetings. County Supervisors Bob Buster and John Tavaglione have spoken out against the practice, with Chairman Buster saying ""If they open it up to all of their represented employees, isn't that also inviting anyone to come to collective-bargaining sessions, the public, the press?".[21]

Riverside County residents pay a county property tax, collected by the Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector. Taxes are collected on behalf of the county, the county's incorporated cities, school districts, and special districts. Property taxes are governed by California State Law. The Board of Supervisors provides an Assessment Appeals Board for residents to appeal the valuation of their property by the County Assessor.[22] The county tax cycle calendar can be found here.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ? Board of Supervisors
  2. ? Meetings
  3. ? Budget
  4. ? Audits
  5. ? Taxes
  6. ? Building department
  7. ? Zoning
  8. ? Purchasing
  9. ? Public Records
  10. ? FY 2011-2012 Recommended Budget
  11. ? Board of Supervisors
  12. ? Elected officials
  13. ? Board and Executive Officer salaries
  14. ? Board and Executive Officer Salary
  15. ? Other elected official salaries
  16. ? Riverside County on Open Secrets, 2010
  17. ? http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000056169&year=2009 2009 Riverside County on Open Secrets, 2009]
  18. ? State-Level Lobbying and Taxpayers: How Much Do We Really Know?, Pacific Research Institute
  19. ? State Controller finds "lack of transparency and accountability" in redevelopment agencies audit, "Valley News," March 7, 2011.
  20. ? Riverside County Budgets, Pensions, & Labor
  21. ? Supervisors question union's open negotiating policy, "The Press-Enterprise", May 15, 2011.
  22. ? Taxes

Source: http://sunshinereview.org/index.php?title=Riverside_County,_California&diff=234521&oldid=prev

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