The Dispute Index

Chad Bianco

Portrait of Chad Bianco
Riverside County Sheriff's Office

Chad Bianco is the Republican sheriff of Riverside County, California, first elected in 2018 after a long career in the Riverside County Sheriff's Office. He ran for governor of California in 2026 and did not advance from the June primary.

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What we have documented

We have documented 3 statements by Chad Bianco, in 2 cases. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.

Case updates

Updates on the Riverside ballot seizure after the court's ruling

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Statements by Chad Bianco

Portrait of Chad Bianco

Chad Bianco

Role at the time: Riverside County sheriff

Defended or excused

Statement summary

Bianco calls for arrests and accountability for those responsible for information he describes as illegally accessed and published.

“need to be arrested and held accountable”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Chad Marlow and Chad Bianco discuss Flock's surveillance-map disputeSeptember 27 report (11:17 a.m. ET); paragraphs quoting Chad Marlow and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco from their statements to the Daily Caller News Foundation
Why we used this label

The reference point is whether Flock should be able to pressure Michael to remove his map and related material. Bianco told the Daily Caller News Foundation that those accountable for information he called illegally accessed and published need to be arrested, which backs enforcement against the publication and fits Defended or excused. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, which would fit support for some measures but not others; he states no such condition.

Read statementFull case: Should Flock Safety require Joshua Michael to remove his surveillance-camera map?
Portrait of Chad Bianco

Chad Bianco

Role at the time: Riverside County Sheriff

Defended or excused

Response to this claim

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office lawfully seized the county's Proposition 50 ballots and other election materials under search warrants issued by a judge, because Elections Code section 15551(d) can be read to permit a seizure under a valid judicial warrant.

“We are very disappointed and wholeheartedly disagree with the court’s ruling … The investigation was a lawful and legal investigation into potential election fraud. The facts of this case have never been disputed, this was an obvious legal attempt to prevent the investigation from occurring that was successful. … The AG now has unchecked power over any investigation in the state of California … I will obey the writs. I will not obey the message behind them — that local law enforcement works for Sacramento, not for the people who elected us.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Sheriff broke law by seizing ballots, CA Supreme Court rules · CalMattersReport on the rulings; Bianco's written statement
Why we used this label

The reference point is the sheriff's seizure and handling of the ballots. Bianco says the investigation was lawful and that the court was wrong, so he defends the seizure; his statement that he will obey the writs concerns compliance and does not retract that position.

Read statementFull case: Was Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's seizure of about 650,000 ballots lawful?
Portrait of Chad Bianco

Chad Bianco

Role at the time: Riverside County Sheriff, then a candidate for governor of California

Defended or excused

Response to this claim

The Attorney General has no legal authority to order a sheriff to halt or pause a lawful criminal investigation.

“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.”
Watch the original video (opens in a new tab)Election Fraud Investigation Press Conference (Riverside County Sheriff's Office, March 20, 2026) · Riverside County Sheriff's OfficeStatement at 02:41-02:57, 03:20-03:45 and 04:04-04:11
Why we used 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.

Read statementFull case: Was Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's seizure of about 650,000 ballots lawful?

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

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