CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : RIVERSIDE : Testimony on Fiscal Status Withheld

Secret testimony used by the 1990-91 Riverside County Grand Jury for a report on alleged county fiscal mismanagement cannot be made public, a Superior Court judge ruled. Release of the transcripts was requested by the grand jury and others on the grounds that the public’s right to know about county financial problems outweighed the need for secrecy. But release was opposed by the Board of Supervisors. Judge James T. Warren ruled that the testimony had to remain confidential under state law. However, he said county officials should address the report’s allegations. Allegations included mismanagement of the financial computer system, the county’s high debt level, unbalanced books and letting funds remain unaudited for up to 20 years.