Chad Bianco has been the Riverside County sheriff since 2018, overseeing the department that provides public safety services to 17 cities within the county as well as five jail facilities.
Bianco, who has been in law enforcement since the early 1990s, has been a vocal critic of the Democratic leadership in Sacramento, saying the “defund the police” movement has made California unsafe.
He has been a well-liked figure among conservatives: The Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank, named him the Sheriff of the Year in 2023.
Who is Chad Bianco?
Bianco, a Utah native, moved to California in the late 1980s.
After working for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Bianco transitioned to working at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Bianco unsuccessfully ran for sheriff in 2014. When he tried again in 2018, he was able to defeat the incumbent and become the Riverside County sheriff. He was reelected for his second term in 2022.
What are Bianco’s proposals for California?
Public safety is on top of his campaign platform for the California governor’s race. As a law enforcement veteran, Bianco wants California to ensure that each law enforcement agency is equipped with adequate staffing and resources. He also pushes for investment in training and retaining law enforcement officers across the state.
Bianco is a vocal critic of Proposition 47, which voters approved in 2014 to make shoplifting, petty theft and personal drug possession misdemeanors. After a surge in flash mob-style retail theft, California passed Proposition 36 in 2024 to amend Prop 47 and make punishments tougher.
The sheriff wants to strength penalties for repeat offenders and expand the state’s Retail Crime Task Force.
What does he say about immigration?
Bianco has pledged to repeal California’s sanctuary law, which prevents cities and counties within the state from aiding Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Bianco told NBC Los Angeles’ Political Reporter Conan Nolan that ICE raids were caused by the Democrats.
“We warned them. We told them if you are going to prevent sheriffs from cooperating with ICE for criminals in our jail and turning them over, you’re going to force ICE into our communities, and grandma, friends and people you don’t expect are going to be encounters.”
While Bianco told Nolan that local enforcement shouldn’t be involved in the actual enforcement of immigration on California streets, he has pledged to work with the federal government to “stop illegal border crossings.”
Controversy surrounding Bianco
Bianco has been a big supporter of Pres. Trump. But the Republican president endorsed his GOP competitor Steve Hilton for California governor, leading Bianco to denounce the decision on social media.
“For too long, politicians and insiders from Sacramento to Washington have tried to pick our leaders for us,” Bianco said on April 6. “That’s not leadership. That’s a coronation.”
Bianco suffered a legal loss in April after state the Supreme Court ordered him to pause an alleged election fraud investigation. The sheriff had seized more than half a million 2025 election ballots in March to investigate a complaint from a local citizens group about the ballot count from a November 2025 special election on redistricting.