Court denies AG's petition to block Republican sheriff's investigation of 650,000 ballots
The feud between California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has escalated after Bonta asked a court to stop Bianco’s investigation into alleged election fraud.
In a 70-page petition filed with California’s 4th District Court of Appeal on Monday, Bonta wrote that “the Sheriff’s misguided investigation threatens to sow distrust and jeopardize public confidence” in upcoming elections. The investigation, which he also called “sweeping and unprecedented,” is an abuse of the criminal process, he wrote.
On Tuesday, a three-judge panel denied the petition, stating in a brief ruling that Bonta should apply with a lower court.
Bianco, who is a leading Republican candidate for governor, last month seized more than 650,000 ballots cast in Riverside County in the November election for Proposition 50, which temporarily redrew the state’s congressional districts to favor Democrats.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-24/state-ag-takes-riverside-county-sheriff-to-court-over-seized-ballots