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Public commenters press Riverside council to publish vendor payments after allegations of improper transfers
Summary
Public speakers at Riverside City Council's Dec. 2 meeting demanded the city publish its vendor payment records online and raised allegations—including a claim of $1.2 billion in payments and unspecified transfers to the county—while the mayor said staff would make updated vendor/contact information available next week.
Public commenters at the Riverside City Council meeting on Dec. 2 pressed elected officials to make the city's vendor payment records publicly accessible and raised serious allegations about unexplained transfers.
An attendee who returned to the issue after earlier requests told the council they had obtained the vendor list and said the document contains lengthy entries they view as unexplained. The commenter alleged large transfers and said the "gran total" on one page was "1.2 billones de dólares," calling that scale "una locura" and urging the city to publish the list online so residents can see who the city is contracting. "Ustedes están supuestos a permitir que el público vea de dónde están teniendo los fondos" the commenter said.
Mayor Patricia Doza acknowledged the public request for records and for more accessible information. She told speakers the council would ask staff and partners to update contact and resource listings and said, "Vamos a pedir que tengamos esa información ya para la próxima semana," indicating the city will work to make more information available publicly.
The allegations aired during public comment included claims that payments had been routed to Riverside County and to commercial banks; those claims were made by members of the public and were not presented with documentary evidence to the council during the meeting. The transcript records the allegations as public comment; the council did not adopt any finding or formal determination about the claims on Dec. 2.
Council staff did not provide a vote or formal action on the vendor-list request during the meeting; the mayor and staff indicated they would follow up. The record shows the city will update its published contact and partner information and is expected to post additional records or guidance publicly as promised by staff.
What happens next: The mayor said staff would update and publish information by next week; the council did not enact a formal motion on vendor-list publication during the Dec. 2 meeting.
