Bianco says there is no legal basis for the Attorney General to stop the ballot investigation
Riverside County Sheriff, then a candidate for governor of California
“I was contacted by a representative of Attorney General Bonta and asked to halt this investigation until after March 6th. No reason was provided and there is no legal justification for the Attorney General to stop a lawful investigation. … Under direction of the court and the court's jurisdiction over all evidence, this investigation will continue despite A.G. Bonta's attempts to stop it. A.G. Bonta is part of the executive branch of this state. Under the separation of powers principle, A.G. Bonta does not have authority over the court or evidence, and I will carry out my constitutional duty to pursue justice impartially. … This investigation is simple. Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes reported.”
Source and context
Original video
About this source
Video of the March 20, 2026 news conference at which Sheriff Bianco publicly described the ballot investigation, said a court had ordered a special master, and responded to the Attorney General's directives to halt it.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Press-Enterprise report on the March 20 news conference, with responses from Attorney General Bonta's office and Secretary of State Weber.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Bianco opened the news conference by saying it was called to inform the public of the investigation, to discuss what he called interference by Attorney General Rob Bonta, and to assure residents that elections are secure. He described a 45,896-vote difference alleged by a citizens' group and said a judge had ordered a special master to oversee the count.
After the quotation
Attorney General Bonta's office responded the same day that there were serious questions about the merits of the investigation and legal deficiencies in the warrant affidavits, and Secretary of State Shirley Weber said her office had thus far found the allegations unsubstantiated. The California Supreme Court later said the March 19 warrant did not appoint a special master.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: The Attorney General has no legal authority to order a sheriff to halt or pause a lawful criminal investigation.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the sheriff's seizure and handling of the ballots. Bianco calls the investigation lawful and says the Attorney General has no authority to stop it, which defends both the seizure and his continuing after the Attorney General's directives.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Rob Bonta
Was Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's seizure of about 650,000 ballots lawful?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full caseCampaign Legal Center
“Sheriff Bianco’s illegal seizure of ballots is a dangerous escalation and blatantly unlawful intrusion by law enforcement … In Riverside County and a growing number of localities across the country, actions like this risk disrupting critical chain of custody procedures, endangering sensitive voter data, sidestepping recount and contest procedures, and amplifying baseless claims, ultimately undermining the freedom to vote.”Read statement
“Governor Gavin Newsom today released the following statement in response to the California Supreme Court ruling Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco illegally seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from last year’s special election … Today’s ruling affirms that in California we will defend democracy — using every branch of government. And the new laws I signed just last week add new protections so attacks like this cannot happen again. People deserve to know their ballot is counted and secure, and in California we will do everything we can to protect that constitutional right — this year, and beyond.”Read statement
“Election fraud can and should be investigated. But misuse of criminal investigative tools — without any evidence that a crime was committed — needlessly undermines trust in our elections system and in law enforcement. After the Sheriff took the extraordinary step of obtaining warrants to seize control over voted ballots, I made a modest request to him: pause your investigation, preserve all evidence, and provide the information needed for my office to review the allegations. Instead, Sheriff Bianco pressed forward with the seizure of hundreds of thousands of ballots. The Court has now made clear that this kind of defiance cannot stand, that the Attorney General has the authority to intervene when sheriffs take improper action, and that voted ballots belong in the custody of elections officials.”Read statement