City Of Banning Responds To RivCo DA's Request For Utility's Records

BANNING, CA — Banning officials announced on Friday the city has responded to a public records request from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office for documents and information related to Banning Electric Utility.

The District Attorney's Office filed a public records request which asks for multiple documentations related to the Banning Electric Utility from Jan. 1, 2018 to present, including journal entries, bank transfer records, financial records, contracts, staff reports, and more.

The public records request letter from the District Attorney's Office is dated Aug. 4, 2026, and was stamped received by the Banning City Clerk's office on Aug. 17, 2026.

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The District Attorney's Office investigator requested "records be produced on a rolling basis as they become available rather than waiting until all responsive records have been gathered."

The City of Banning issued a press release on Thursday announcing it received the public records request from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigation and said the city council, executive leadership, and staff "will work collaboratively with the District Attorney's Office," and identify, gather and produce all records dating back to Jan. 1, 2018 in according with the California Public Records Act.

"The City of Banning is cooperating fully with the District Attorney's Office," Banning Mayor Richard Royce said in a statement. "Transparency and accountability to the people we serve are among our highest responsibilities. We welcome any review that strengthens public confidence in how the City manages its resources. The request reaches back to 2018, and the majority of the records and decisions it covers predate the City's current leadership."

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The city's announcement about the District Attorney's Office's records request comes about one week after Royce shared details about the city's financial situation in a video address, and said the city is "asset rich, but cash poor." He said the city is taking steps to generate income and reduce debt, and possibly eliminating 74 city jobs was among the proposals officials will consider.

In the video address published last week, Royce said the city council declared a "fiscal emergency" this year.

A County of Riverside Grand Jury report released in June stated the City of Banning has suffered years of mismanagement. Royce, Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Barrington, Councilmember Leroy Miller, and Councilmember Colleen Wallace each responded to the Grand Jury report in letters dated Aug. 14, 2026.

The report noted that Banning "residents were being double-billed monthly for (Banning operated) electric service after not receiving an electric bill for numerous months due to an antiquated and problematic billing system."

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The Grand Jury report also noted that electricity rates were recently raised with additional increases proposed.

The city has held budget workshops with residents, including the most recent which officials said "covered revised revenue estimates, service impacts, and steps toward a one‑year balanced budget."

On Thursday, the city said a meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Sept. 10 at city hall with "more detailed reviews of internal service and utility funds."