Anonymous Complaint Submitted 12/18/25

Recently, a complaint was submitted to the Ask the GM blog, alleging a “rude, unprofessional, and discriminatory” interaction with a Riverside County Regional Park & Open-Space (RivCoParks) Employee. RivCoParks takes all allegations of misconduct seriously and is committed to ensuring a respectful and inclusive environment for employees, volunteers, and members of the public.

Under normal circumstances, this type of allegation would be promptly reviewed and investigated. However, the information provided within the submission is insufficient to conduct a meaningful investigation. Additionally, because the complaint was submitted anonymously, we are unable to request the additional details necessary to move forward, such as the employee’s full name, work location, date and time of interaction, and specific circumstances surrounding the incident.

RivCoParks employees are required to comply with all County policies, as well as state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment. Individuals who believe they have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment have several options for submitting a formal complaint, including but not limited to the following:

• Board Policy A-73 – Title VI Nondiscrimination Policy & Complaint Form (for members of the public)

• Board Policy C-25 Harassment Policy and Complain Procedure and Interactive Form (for employees and volunteers)

Employees or volunteers who believe they have been subjected to discrimination or harassment are encouraged to report the matter promptly to any of the following:

• Their immediate supervisor

• Any supervisor or management employee/officer within RivCoParks or the County

• General Manager or Assistant Parks Director

• The Human Resources Department, Employee Relations Division

Members of the public who believe they have experienced discrimination or harassment may:

• Submit a complaint using the form provided under Policy A-73

• Provide additional information through the Contact Us Form

• Contact the General Manager, Assistant Parks Director, or HR investigations team directly.  

We reiterate that RivCoParks takes allegations of inappropriate conduct seriously and encourage the individual who submitted the complaint to follow up through one of the options listed above so that the matter may be properly reviewed and addressed.

Respectfully,

Kyla Brown

Take Your Child to Work Day

QUESTION:

Does RivCo Parks encourage “Bring your kid to work” day? If not, is there a possibility to make this a RivCo Parks tradition? Many of us have children, some of our children even look at us as if we wear capes. I think it would be an amazing opportunity to inspire our future generations on the many aspects of our love for the outdoors.

ANSWER:

YES! RivCoParks has participated in "Take Your Child to Work Day" in the past (pre-pandemic) and YES, we would encourage participation once again. We're currently exploring how we might participate this upcoming year and will share that information as soon as we have it ready. Thank you for the suggestion!

Issues (Opportunities for Improvement)

QUESTION:

I have noticed a number of items that need to be addressed:

• Service Now Tickets - where do the tickets get routed, how is work prioritized, and how to I follow up on the status of my requests?

• Systems, Permits and Maintenance - who is responsible for assuring systems (like fire systems) are maintained and tested and other permitted items (generators, water tanks, compression tanks, etc.) are maintained and permitted on time? How do we keep track of the status?

• Urgent Requests - is there a way to expedite the purchasing process to address urgent items, like repairing a non-working fire suppression system?

• Maintenance Efficiencies - a reported water leak took 3 months to fix. The delay cost the District $3k in excess water usage and the fix was only $400. How can we prioritize these repairs to improve efficiencies and save valuable resources?

Submitted by: Peter H.

ANSWER:

Thank you for speaking up and calling attention to these items. I appreciate you have the perspective of fixing what might not be working, instead of operating as status quo. We can improve with people like you on our team helping us get there.

• Service Now Tickets - Service Now Tickets are routed to a supervisor/manager or program lead depending on the type of ticket submitted. For example, Maintenance Tickets get routed based on the location selected. Some go to the designated Maintenance Supervisor or Ranger Supervisor, while others go to the District Maintenance Team to be prioritized and addressed. All tickets require a supervisor's approval before the work can be done.

Once your ticket is submitted and approved, you should receive an email notifying you of the status and periodic updates as the ticket is worked on or closed.

• Systems, Permits and Maintenance - The lead of each site is responsible for assuring all site assets are properly maintained. Depending on the site, it's either a Maintenance Supervisor, Park Ranger Supervisor (if there is not a Maintenance Supervisor at the site), Interpreter, or Park Facilities Coordinator. If you have specific concerns about a particular site, please start with speaking directly to the Chief in charge of that area to determine who is the responsible staff member.

In terms of tracking, each site has a maintenance Management Plan that identifies routine and episodic maintenance needs. When items are inspected, they are manually logged on the MMP or designated inspection sheet. In some cases, this is an excel spreadsheet, and in some cases it's through ArcGIS surveys.

• Urgent Requests - Yes, there are emergency procurement procedures for items of urgency. Our procurement team can assist you with determining the best/fastest way to address these items when they arise. The best way to plan for routine maintenance is to enter into agreements with vendors for multiple years to avoid the emergency situations.

• Maintenance Efficiencies - Communication is key to ensuring quick and efficient responses to urgent maintenance needs. Rather than just submitting a ticket, follow up with a phone call or email to you supervisor and the supervisor in charge of the fix to let them know what is happening. By giving them a "heads up" they can look for the ticket or start working on a repair right away. No response? Don't wait. Call the next person in the chain of command to get things moving if necessary.