RivCo's Top Election Official Placed On Paid Administrative Leave

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County’s elections chief was put on paid administrative leave Wednesday, and her attorney said the county provided no reasoning behind the "retaliatory" sideline.

Rebecca Spencer has worked for the county for more than two decades, starting as an intern with the elections office in 1999. After Riverside County Registrar of Voters Kari Verjil retired in March 2014, Spencer served as interim registrar until getting the top elections job later that year. The registrar is responsible for maintaining the county's voter rolls and overseeing its elections.

Spencer has always stood for integrity and has maintained a non-partisan approach to the work, her attorney Sanford Kassel told Patch.

Wednesday's move was "retaliatory and political in nature," the San Bernardino-based lawyer said. "The job is supposed to be non-partisan."

Spencer has raised concerns about some of Riverside County's top officials.

In 2021, she accused District Attorney Mike Hestrin of bullying and interference with county elections. Spencer also accused 2nd District county Supervisor Karen Spiegel of demanding that a ballot drop box be removed. Both leaders are Republicans while Spencer has identified as a no-party preference voter.

“I should be able to do my job free of political intimidation, interference, and retaliation,” according to a January 2021 email that Spencer wrote to the Board of Supervisors and The Press-Enterprise obtained. “ … For over 4 years I hoped that this situation would improve but it has become abundantly clear that the inappropriate behavior and unlawful interference with my job duties and responsibilities will not stop … .”

Hestrin dismissed the allegations. Neither his office nor a civil grand jury found widespread fraud in county elections.

There have been no public announcements from state officials about investigations into Spencer's claims.

Spencer has faced local scrutiny. During the November 2020 election, approximately 42,000 Riverside County voters got more than one mail-in ballot. Spencer said that can happen if a voter changes registration information, though she countered that her office had guardrails in place to prevent anyone from voting twice. The Board of Supervisors certified the election.

In 2021, about 11,000 Eastvale and Cathedral City voters received their ballots too late for special elections. Spencer said a vendor failed to send the ballots out in a timely manner. Again, the Board of Supervisors certified the election results.

Kassel said Spencer had no information from the county Wednesday morning as to what will happen next. She remains in limbo, he said.

In an emailed statement Wednesday, county spokesperson Yaoska Machado confirmed Spencer was placed on paid administrative leave from her position as the Registrar of Voters and added, "Chief Operating Officer Juan Perez, from the County’s Executive Office, will work closely with the department’s leadership team and dedicated staff to continue to prepare for upcoming elections and to ensure the delivery of services for the communities we serve. This is a personnel matter and no additional information will be available until after the next Board of Supervisors’ meeting."

A county-administered election takes place Nov. 7.

Transparent California reports Spencer's 2022 total pay at $224,505.01, not including benefits.