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Board recommends expanding ethics code ban on campaign materials and narrowing future presentations
Summary
The board discussed Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 2.78 and voted to recommend that the Board of Ethics broaden prohibitions on campaign materials (to include city property such as poles) and that future presentations emphasize prohibited behaviors rather than procedural steps.
The Board of Public Utilities discussed proposed recommendations to the Board of Ethics on changes to Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 2.78 (Code of Ethics and Conduct) and agreed to forward specific language clarifying prohibited actions. During the item, a board member proposed expanding the existing ban on campaign material in or on city vehicles to include other city property — for example, power poles and streetlight poles — to make enforcement clearer and reduce the opportunity for incumbents to place materials on public assets.
The board also voted to ask future Board of Ethics presentations to focus on prohibited behaviors rather than the procedural minutiae of filing, processing, and appeals. Legal staff (Susan Wilson) confirmed that the code applies to appointed and elected officials and said the municipal code provides the Board of Ethics a schedule for receiving recommendations from other boards and commissions by the end of August. The board passed motions to formalize both recommendations and will transmit them to the Board of Ethics for consideration.
