The Public Information Office serves as the liaison between the City of Riverside and the media; assists in the ongoing efforts to inform the public on issues facing the City; and works with the city’s Charter Officers – City Manager, City Clerk and City Attorney – in ongoing efforts to maintain and increase transparency in our local government.
The Public Information Officer works closely with the Office of the Mayor, City Council members, City executive staff and department heads to ensure an accurate and comprehensive response to media inquiries. These responses include coordination and preparation of media interviews, backgrounding sessions, provision of public documents, and coordinating media coverage of upcoming city events.
The Public Information Officer responds to all media inquiries except those involving the Police and Fire Departments, which have their own public information efforts through their respective departments. The Public Information Officer does, however, coordinate with the Police and Fire PIOs on events or inquiries that may require a citywide response and to maintain situational awareness within the citywide organization.
The Office also proactively reaches out to media through press releases, press conferences, phone calls and other means to ensure media outlets are aware of important developments that may be of interest to the media outlets’ audiences. These efforts seek to ensure the City of Riverside’s accomplishments are known to a regional, state and national audience.
In the case of serious emergencies, the Public Information Officer works with the respective public safety PIOs, as well as the Marketing Officer and the Office of Communications, to ensure an appropriate and timely on-site response to the emergency. These cooperative efforts often take the form on an on-site press conference with live feeds to City social media, as well as the social media feeds of the respective public safety agencies.
Contact:
Public Information Officer
Phil Pitchford
951-826-5975