California court denies appeal to stop Riverside County Sheriff's election fraud investigation A California court ruled Tuesday that the state attorney general’s attempt to halt an investigation into alleged election fraud in Riverside County was unsuccessful. The appellate court denied the request, citing the location where the case was filed rather than the merits of the petition. California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office emphasized that the decision does not reflect on the validity of the investigation, which focuses on the actions of Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. Bianco, a Republican running for governor, is accused of seizing over 611,000 ballots from the Prop 50 special election, which approved a redistricting measure shifting five Republican U.S. House seats to more Democratic-leaning districts. The measure passed in Riverside County with over 56% of the vote, according to The Associated Press. The ballots supporting the new maps exceeded those opposing them by approximately 82,570 votes. Bianco claimed his agency was investigating a complaint alleging a discrepancy of about 45,800 votes between the total reported to the state and the actual count. He described the probe as a “fact-finding mission” to physically count ballots and compare the results with the official tally. However, Secretary of State Shirley Weber dismissed the allegations, stating they lack credible evidence and could undermine public trust in elections. She noted that Bianco’s staff is not qualified to conduct election investigations, as they lack expertise in election administration. County elections officials confirmed that the machine count and the final tally submitted to the state differed by around 100 votes.#chad_bianco #rob_bonta #california_attorney_general #riverside_county_sheriff #shirley_weber
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s attempt to block Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of 2025 ballots was rejected by a court on Tuesday. The state’s legal office had sought to halt the sheriff’s investigation into alleged voter fraud, arguing that Bianco had not provided sufficient evidence to justify the criminal probe. The court, however, ruled that Bonta should have filed his complaint in the local Riverside County court rather than the appellate court. Bianco, a Republican running for governor, seized approximately 650,000 ballots from the November 2025 special election and initiated a recount. He described the effort as a “fact-finding mission” aimed at ensuring election accuracy. The move has drawn criticism from legal experts and election officials, who argue that the sheriff’s office lacks the authority to investigate ballot integrity. Bonta’s office has raised concerns that the investigation is a “fishing expedition” designed to undermine public trust in elections. The attorney general’s legal team pointed to sworn statements Bianco provided to a Riverside County judge to obtain warrants for the ballot seizure. Bonta’s office claims these statements did not establish probable cause for the criminal investigation. The warrants, however, remain sealed in Riverside County Superior Court, with redacted details in Bonta’s court filings. The warrants were approved by Judge Jay Kiel, a former prosecutor who previously endorsed Bianco’s gubernatorial campaign. The controversy stems from claims by a Riverside County citizens’ group that election officials overstated the number of ballots counted in the November special election. The group alleged discrepancies tied to Democrat-drawn congressional maps.#chad_bianco #rob_bonta #california_attorney_general #riverside_county_sheriff #riverside_county_superior_court
