RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Grand jury says top lawyer thwarts investigations

Greg Priamos interferes in the panel’s work and gives misleading advice to county employees, the report contends.

In a sharply worded report, Riverside County’s civil grand jury has accused the county’s top lawyer of consistently interfering in its work, misleading county employees and having a chilling effect on employees’ sworn testimony.

County Counsel Greg Priamos “has a history of bias and contempt” toward the civil grand jury going back to his days as lead attorney for the city of Riverside, the panel concluded in a recently released report.

Priamos “has made numerous attempts to thwart the Grand Jury’s investigations of departments of the County,” the report said.

Priamos, who came to the county last year, could not immediately be reached for comment. He has denied interfering with the jury and has said grand jurors do not understand his job.

“There’s a balance of properly representing my clients’ interests and at the same time, making sure the grand jury is getting all the information it’s entitled to,” Priamos said in late April.

County spokesman Ray Smith said the grand jury doesn’t understand Priamos’ role.

“Unfortunately, it appears the grand jury continues to misunderstand the ethical and statutory roles the Office of County Counsel has in representing its client -- the county,” Smith said.

The new report is the latest example of ongoing tension between Priamos and the grand jury, a panel of 19 citizens sworn in by a Superior Court judge every July. Civil grand juries spend a year investigating local public agencies and suggesting improvements.

The panel previously accused Priamos of interfering in its investigation of the county’s information technology department. The grand jury said Priamos told IT staff to accept only written requests for information from jurors.

Priamos said the IT director was concerned about the grand jury’s request because it involved potentially sensitive information. The grand jury was never denied access to information, Priamos said.

The latest report takes aim at Priamos. Having county counsel present during interviews can intimidate employees, who may fear retaliation if the lawyer relays their testimony to their superiors, the grand jury found.

Priamos has said lawyers sit in on employee testimony only at the employee’s request.

As Riverside city attorney, Priamos clashed with the grand jury in 2013. Back then, Priamos sent a letter to the Superior Court presiding judge about scheduling conflicts involving the testimony of the city police review commission.

The letter, the grand jury said, violated the confidentiality of its probe into city police procedures. Priamos, who was admonished by then-County Counsel Pamela Walls, denied the charge.

The latest report calls for Priamos not to represent employees who testify before the grand jury and to advise department heads to give the grand jury access to all requested documents.

The panel also recommends training for Priamos, who said earlier that he should train the grand jury, not the other way around.

June 15, 2015

The Press Enterprise

By Jeff Horseman, Staff Writer