2024-2025 Riverside Civil Grand Jury Compliance and Continuity Report June 17, 2025

Recommendations 3

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  2021-2022 Enhanced Organizational Culture & Leadership: Children Services Division Dedicated to Protecting Riverside County Children Report Date: June 28, 2022 Response Received: October 4, 2022 Summary of 2021-2022 Report: The 2021-2022 Grand Jury report addressed recent child abuse deaths in 2019 and 2020, along with other reports of child abuse and neglect that had tragic outcomes. The details of the cases could not be accessed due to confidentiality rules. Therefore, the Grand Jury altered its investigation and focused on Child Protective Services policies and procedures, as revised and the “process issues” identified in a published external review. The report focus was to ascertain if current policies and procedures are effective in meeting the challenges faced by the Social Services Practitioners (SSPs), their supervisors and the Riverside County entities that support them. The Grand Jury also searched for unequivocal evidence that validates a statement made by a Riverside County spokesperson in July 2020 Los Angeles Times articles, specifically: “[Riverside]… County made several improvements since late 2019 to the County’s Children’s Services Division, including leadership changes and a shift in culture toward greater accountability and safer practices and outcomes.” The major points of interest examined in the investigation were as follows: • Warrant for Removal process (obtaining court orders to remove a child from a dangerous environment). 10 • Use of the Structured Decision Making (SDM) to ascertain the level of safety and risk in cases assigned for investigation. • “Staffing” procedures to “promote” an investigation, to seek guidance, and to make appropriate decisions to protect children. • Caseload management, standards, and strategies for reducing SSPs workloads. 2021-2022 Key Findings The report noted seven findings concerning the roles and responsibilities of County staff, the warrant removal process, staffing procedures, case management workloads, and SSP rate turnover. 2021-2022 Recommendations: The report listed seven recommendations. The response received from the Children’s Services Division (CSD) stated that five of the recommendations have been implemented and will continue to be implemented. Findings and Recommendations Recap Finding Agreement Recommendation I mplemented F#1 Respondent agrees R#1 Implemented with the finding F#2 Respondent agrees R#2 Implemented with the finding F#3 Respondent agrees R#3 Implemented with the finding F#4 Respondent R#4 Implemented partially agrees with the finding F#5 Respondent agrees R#5 Implemented with the finding. F#6 Respondent agrees R#6 Implemented with the finding. F#7 Respondent agrees R#7 Implemented with the finding. 2024-2025 Follow-up The 2022-2023 Grand Jury conducted a follow-up interview with the Director of CSD concerning the status of the recommendations. The Grand Jury found CSD has started the implementation process on all the recommendations and they will continue to be implemented. Recommendations As of June 12, 2025, the recommendations noted in the 2021-2022 report have been implemented and no additional follow-up is needed. 11
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  2020-2021 Was the Riverside County November 2020 Consolidated General Election Administered Fairly and Impartially? Report Issued: 06/28/2021 Response Due: 10/01/2021 Continuity Report Issued: 6/21/22 Summary of 2020-2021 Report and 2021-2022 Continuity Report The 2024-2025 Grand Jury selected the2020-2021 ROV Report and the 2021-2022 ROV Continuity Report to ensure the ROV implemented all the recommendations of the 2020 -2021 Civil Grand Jury report, “Was the Riverside County November Consolidated General Election Administered Fairly and Impartially?”. The ROV Report 2020-2021 included five findings and thirteen recommendations. The November 16, 2021, response from the ROV to the 2020-2021 report agreed with all findings and the thirteen recommendations and indicated they would be implemented. In the 2022 Civil Grand Jury’s Continuity report nine of the thirteen recommendations had been completed. Below is a list of the recommendations not completed in the 2022 Continuity Report. • Recommendation #2-Detailed plan done November 2022 and presented to Board of Supervisors. • Recommendation #3-Video on “Life of a Ballot” and others have been completed and are on the ROV website. • Recommendation #5-New Livestream on Registrar of Voters’ website shows real-time ballot counting since June 3, 2022. • Recommendation #12-Workers collecting ballots have a cellphone that is tracked as they transport ballot containers. 2024-2025 Key Findings The responses provided by the ROV and the Board of Supervisors is considered complete about the 2020-2021 Grand Jury report, “Was the Riverside County November Consolidated General Election Administered Fairly and Impartially?” Recommendations All the recommendations noted in the 2020-2021 report have been implemented and no additional follow-up is needed. 12
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  2021-2022 Grand Jury Report: County Leadership Failures Result in Unnecessary Financial Risks: Internal Audits Marginalized Report Issued: 05/27/2022 Response Due: 8/31/2022 Continuity Report Issued: 6/21/23 Summary of 2021-2022 Report and 2022-2023 Continuity Report The 2021-2022 Civil Grand Jury found twelve findings, such as, high turnover, a dysfunctional relationship with county leaders and departments, internal audits being marginalized, and in many cases just ignored, and a staff that lacks the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience to perform the required audit. In addition, the audits did not provide the severity of the audit findings. The report lists thirteen recommendations to address the findings. The 2022-2023 Continuity Report found that the Executive Office and the Internal Audit Division realized the importance of internal auditing and risk management to the County. With the election of a new Auditor-Controller many of the findings have been addressed and recommendations implemented. 2024-2025 Key Findings and Recommendations Following the election of a new Auditor-Controller considerable progress has been made to implement the thirteen 2021-2022 recommendations noted in the initial report. Many of the findings have been addressed and corresponding recommendations have been implemented such as reducing internal audit staff turnover. The staff has increased the number of professional certifications, obtained a certified IT auditor and conducted IT audits, reducing the time on follow-up and developing a risk-based audit approach and auditing knowledge. The new ACO has repaired the working relationships between other County Departments. The only finding and recommendation needing completion is the audit oversight committee. The County has decided to make the audit oversight committee a standing committee with a Board approved charter and bylaws added to the County budget. The Civil Grand Jury was informed it would be several more months before it would be completed and that the committee bylaws are being drafted. Recommendations The Continuity Committee should review the proposed Audit Oversight Committee membership composition and charter before being implemented to ensure the Internal Audit and Audit Committee Charter align to achieve the desired goals. 13