RIVERSIDE, CA — The Riverside County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to establish an Ad Hoc Committee that will evaluate advisory and oversight options for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Introduced by Supervisors Jose Medina and Karen Spiegel, the motion directs the committee to review governance models used by other jurisdictions, evaluate Riverside County’s existing advisory and oversight mechanisms, engage community stakeholders, and return to the Board with findings and recommendations within 180 days. Supervisors Medina and Spiegel will serve on the committee.
Supervisor Chuck Washington was absent from the meeting.
The vote followed significant public participation, with 58 community members submitting public comment on the proposal.
During Board discussion, Supervisor Medina acknowledged the role the recent Civil Grand Jury report played in bringing the issue before the Board.
“Were it not for the Riverside County Civil Grand Jury Report that came out recently, we may not have been here… But I remember the saying, ‘It’s never too late to do the right thing,’ and that’s where we are today: doing the right thing.”
The committee’s creation comes just weeks after the release of the 2025–2026 Riverside County Civil Grand Jury Report, which concluded that Riverside County lacks a comprehensive independent civilian oversight structure for the Sheriff’s Department and recommended the Board establish an independent oversight body with clearly defined authority, independent staffing, public reporting requirements, and the ability to review critical incidents and in-custody deaths.
The Grand Jury also recommended an independent custodial and correctional health audit, a quarterly public data dashboard, a five-year strategic jail operations plan, and replacing the existing Sheriff’s Advisory Committee with an oversight structure aligned with nationally recognized best practices.
According to Tuesday’s Board report, the Ad Hoc Committee will work with County departments and engage community organizations, advocacy groups, labor organizations, subject matter experts, and other interested stakeholders while considering the legal, fiscal, operational, and governance implications of potential oversight models. The committee will return to the full Board with recommendations within six months.
Tuesday’s action does not establish a new oversight body. Instead, it begins a public review process that could inform future Board action regarding the structure of sheriff oversight in Riverside County.
IE United will continue following the committee’s work and opportunities for public engagement as Riverside County considers the future of transparency, accountability, and oversight within the Sheriff’s Department.
