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<br /> <br /> <br />Measure A – Transferring State Misdemeanor Prosecutions to the City Attorney’s Office <br /> <br />City Clerk’s Impartial Analysis <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />This measure is proposed by the Riverside City Council to amend the City Charter to <br />establish the Office of City Prosecutor within the City Attorney’s Office. This amendment <br />would grant the City Attorney authority to act as City Prosecutor charged with the duty of <br />prosecuting misdemeanor offenses arising out of violations of state law occurring within <br />the City of Riverside. <br /> <br />The City of Riverside is a Charter City, meaning that it follows the laws set forth in the <br />state’s constitution along with its own adopted City Charter. In a charter city, the charter <br />may designate the city attorney as the “city prosecutor,” having the primary duty to <br />prosecute all state misdemeanors committed within the city. Standard California <br />misdemeanors are offenses that are punishable by a county jail sentence of less than <br />one year and a maximum $1,000 fine. These include but are not limited to petty theft, <br />trespassing, vandalism and graffiti, prostitution, and lewd conduct. <br /> <br />A “yes” vote is a vote in favor of establishing the Office of City Prosecutor to prosecute <br />misdemeanor offenses arising out of violations of state law. A “no” vote will reject the <br />proposed amendment such that misdemeanor offenses arising out of violations of state <br />law would not be prosecuted by the City Attorney and instead continue to be prosecuted <br />by the County District Attorney’s Office. <br /> <br />If approved, the measure would not go into effect until January 1, 2017. <br /> <br />The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure A. <br /> <br />Colleen J. Nicol <br />City Clerk <br />