City Council appoints Assistant City Manager Edward Enriquez as Riverside interim city manager

Edward Enriquez moved from acting to interim city manager in Riverside this week after the City Council took up the appointment at its July 7 meeting. The same meeting also seated Luis Hernandez as the new Ward 6 council member, filling the seat long held by Jim Perry after Perry’s retirement. City Hall is making both changes after Mike Futrell said on June 11 that he planned to step down as city manager, and after the city later confirmed Enriquez would serve in the role while a permanent search begins. (riversideca.gov) Riverside’s city manager oversees the implementation of council policy and directs about 2,400 city staff, according to the city manager’s office. (californiacitynews.org) ### Who is Edward Enriquez, and what job is he taking over? Edward Enriquez has been serving as Riverside’s assistant city manager and is also listed by the city as chief financial officer and treasurer. City records and organizational documents show he has been part of the city’s executive structure for several years and was elevated to assistant city manager in 2022 after previously holding finance leadership posts. The interim city manager role puts Enriquez in charge of the city’s top administrative office while the council looks for a permanent replacement. (raincrossgazette.com) The city manager’s office says the position acts as the link between the mayor, the council and the public, and carries out policy direction across city departments. ### Why was Riverside filling the city manager post now? Mike Futrell said on June 11 that he planned to step down from the city manager job, according to the city’s media page. A separate report from California City News said Futrell’s resignation took effect July 5 and that Enriquez had already been serving as acting city manager while the city prepared for a broader search. (riversideca.gov) The July 7 council agenda preview published by Raincross Gazette said council members were scheduled to discuss the appointment of an interim city manager in closed session that evening. That same preview listed the swearing-in of Hernandez and certification of the June election results as part of the meeting. (riversideca.gov) ### How did Luis Hernandez get onto the council without a runoff? Luis Hernandez was sworn in as Ward 6 council member on July 7, according to the city’s Ward 6 page. Raincross Gazette reported before the meeting that Hernandez was expected to be seated after election certification. (riversideca.gov) Unofficial election results cited by The Riverside Record showed Hernandez crossed the 50% threshold needed to win the seat outright. The Record identified him as a disability services specialist and a city Board of Ethics commissioner, and said his victory meant Riverside would avoid a November runoff in Ward 6. (raincrossgazette.com) Jim Perry’s departure set the timetable. The Riverside Record reported that Perry, a 13-year council member, announced he would leave office by July to pursue another opportunity, and that Hernandez’s majority win meant the seat could pass directly to him once results were certified. (riversideca.gov) ### What does the council have to do next on the manager search? Riverside has not yet posted a detailed public timeline for a permanent city manager recruitment on its media page or city manager site as of July 9. What is clear from the city’s handling of the transition is that Enriquez is serving only on an interim basis while the council decides on the next permanent hire. (riversiderecord.org) The next major step will be the launch of that recruitment process and any public discussion the council schedules around it. Riverside streams council meetings through its city meeting portal, and future agendas are posted through the city’s calendar system. (riversiderecord.org) ### Why do these two personnel moves matter at the same time? July 7 put Riverside’s administrative and political transitions on the same council agenda. The city seated a new Ward 6 member while also stabilizing the city manager’s office with Enriquez in the interim job. (riversideca.gov) Riverside’s official city organizational chart still recently listed Perry in Ward 6 and Futrell as city manager, a sign of how quickly the changes have been unfolding. The city’s Ward 6 page has already been updated to reflect Hernandez’s swearing-in, while the broader leadership structure is still catching up to the turnover. (riversideca.legistar.com) As of July 9, the concrete next steps are a permanent city manager search and the council’s work with Hernandez now seated for Ward 6. Future meeting notices and agendas are posted through Riverside’s council calendar and meeting system. (riversideca.legistar.com) (riversideca.gov) (raincrossgazette.com)