California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A state appellate court has denied a petition from the California Attorney General’s office seeking to stop a Republican sheriff from conducting an “amateur” recount of ballots in last year’s redistricting referendum election. But the fight is far from over. 

A panel of three state appellate judges concluded Tuesday night that California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D)’s office should have filed the case in a lower court.

Bonta had sought an emergency ruling from the court to temporarily halt a vote recount conducted by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a GOP candidate for California governor who seized more than 650,000 ballots in the county based on what is likely a volunteer group’s misunderstanding of raw election data. 

Bonta’s office said Wednesday that it is continuing to pursue a court injunction.

“The facts have not changed,” Bonta’s office said in a statement. “The Riverside County Sheriff continues to directly defy the Attorney General’s instructions, in violation of the California Constitution and state law. The Court of Appeal’s decision was based solely on where we filed the case and is not a ruling on the underlying merits of the petition. We are evaluating next steps to ensure a swift and appropriate resolution to this matter.”

According to court filings, the Riverside County Sheriff’s office is being represented by outside counsel — the California-based Tyler Law, a firm that says it represents “religious organizations, businesses & individuals” — rather than the county.

That could be because county officials aren’t backing Bianco’s investigation.

Riverside County Supervisor Jose Medina, one of five members of the county’s governing body, blasted Bianco in a statement Monday, saying the sheriff has chosen to be a “full-time candidate” for governor and demanding he return the ballots. 

“Sheriff Chad Bianco must return all 650,000 ballots where they belong, to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, and find another way to campaign for Governor of the State of California other than the stunt we all witnessed Friday,” Medina said.