RIVERSIDE – Retired Undersheriff Valerie Hill has announced her candidacy for Riverside City Council Ward 3. The Ward 3 seat was vacated after William "Rusty" Bailey was elected Mayor of Riverside.

Hill was the first female to be appointed Undersheriff in the Riverside Sheriff’s Department’s 118-year history. She served under Sheriff Stan Sniff until she retired in 2010. At the time, Hill was responsible for a staff of more than 4,000 people and a budget roughly a half-billion dollars.

"One of the things I learned at the Sheriff’s Department was the value of hard work and tenacity, Hill said. "Although this is my first effort in the political arena, I have served my community proudly for many years. Over the next few months I want to introduce myself to as many voters as possible."

Retired Riverside County DA Grover Trask, serving as Hill’s Honorary Campaign Chair, said, "Val Hill is exactly who we need on the city council. Her integrity alone makes her a qualified candidate."

The long list of Hill’s endorsers includes Sheriff Stan Sniff, current District Attorney Paul Zellerbach, Riverside County Advertisement

[ Carrington Home Loans ] Supervisor John Tavaglione and former Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge.

"I am impressed by Val’s career success and community service," Loveridge said.

Hill has long been active in a variety of civic and charitable organizations such as Operation Safe House, Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center, Riverside Kiwanis and the Riverside Community College District Foundation. She has also participated in the Soroptimist "Live Your Dream" Conference, designed to help 7th and 8th grade girls identify steps needed to reach their dreams.

Hill was honored in 2002 as a YWCA Woman of Achievement. Two years later she was recognized in Inland Empire Magazine as a Woman Who Makes a Difference. In 2005 Hill received the Soroptimist International Riverside Gold Key Award, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Law Enforcement Appreciation Committee (LEAC) (2007). Hill was named a 2010 Woman of Distinction by the University of Redlands. She received the prestigious ATHENA Award (2010) from the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.

Hill holds a Bachelor Degree in Business and Management from the University of Redlands. She is married, the mother of three grown children and grandmother of four.