GOP CA Sheriff v DEM CA AG before CA Supreme Court today - Sheriff Doubles Down On Seizing Ballots As State Supreme Court Deliberates State AG's demand for ballots to be returned
A high-stakes election integrity fight in CA has reached the state’s highest court, with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco refusing to surrender roughly 650,000 ballots seized during an investigation into the 2025 special election — despite Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta demanding their return.
The California Supreme Court heard arguments Monday over whether Bianco acted within his legal authority when his department took possession of ballots cast in Riverside County during the November 2025 election involving Proposition 50, the state’s controversial congressional redistricting measure.
Bianco has remained unapologetic, insisting his department received a complaint that required investigation and that the seizure was lawful.
“I did this, and this was legal,” Bianco told reporters.
“I went a different route. They are legal. Both routes are legal. It’s just their side doesn’t like the route I chose,” Bianco added.
The sheriff’s legal team told reporters Monday that the ballots remain securely in Bianco’s custody while the legal dispute plays out….
… Proposition 50, which California voters approved during the November 2025 special election, … involved congressional redistricting and officially passed statewide by more than 3.4 million votes, according to CA election results.
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“How strange, that now we have evidence that the machines counted something different than the ballots that we have, and an Attorney General runs in to stop that investigation so that we’ll never know,” Bianco said outside the courthouse.
The California Supreme Court dispute currently centers on Bianco’s authority to seize and retain the ballots.
Bonta launched his legal challenge against Bianco in March, demanding that the sheriff return the election materials.
The UCLA Voting Rights Project separately challenged Bianco’s actions.
The Democratic attorney general maintains that California law gives his office supervisory authority over local sheriffs and argues that Bianco ignored that authority by refusing to comply with the demand.
“This is a sheriff that – despite the clear language in the California constitution, and in California government code, providing me direct supervision, authority over him – failed to comply with it,” Bonta told reporters Monday.
“He can read, he knows what it says, it makes his violations even more egregious,” Bonta added.
Bianco strongly disputes Bonta’s interpretation of the law, arguing that the attorney general’s supervisory authority does not give him the power to shut down a legitimate investigation.
“If you take it word for word, in that context, it means that he has direct authority that if I’m not doing my job he can order me to do it and if I don’t do it he can do it for me. But he cannot stop an investigation,” Bianco charged.
That disagreement has now placed two powerful California law enforcement officials on opposite sides of a consequential legal battle: Bonta says Bianco exceeded his authority, while the sheriff argues he would be abandoning his law enforcement responsibilities if he surrendered potential evidence before his investigation was complete.
The fight is unfolding amid a much broader national debate over election administration…
… For Bianco, the issue is straightforward: His department received a complaint, opened an investigation and obtained evidence that he says must remain protected while investigators determine what happened.
For Bonta, the controversy raises a different question — whether an elected county sheriff can independently seize and retain hundreds of thousands of ballots despite objections from state authorities responsible for overseeing California elections.
The California Supreme Court did not immediately rule following Monday’s arguments, leaving the roughly 650,000 ballots in Bianco’s possession while the justices deliberate.
https://conservativebrief.com/sheriff-seized-ballots-103944