SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s highest court issued an order Wednesday directing a county sheriff to temporarily halt his investigation into alleged voting irregularities after he confiscated more than 500,000 election ballots.
The judicial intervention follows a request made last month by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, who asked the state’s top court to intervene. A voting rights organization has also filed a legal challenge against the ballot confiscation.
The controversy began in February and intensified last month when Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco confiscated 1,000 boxes containing election materials. The seizure was part of his investigation into allegations made by a local citizen organization questioning the ballot tally from a November 2025 special election concerning redistricting. County election administrators informed the Board of Supervisors last month that the citizen group’s allegations lacked merit. Despite Bonta’s directive to stop the investigation, Bianco proceeded to confiscate an additional 426 boxes of ballots just last week.
According to Bonta, Wednesday’s court ruling is crucial for stopping the sheriff’s investigation.
“What the Sheriff says and what he does are often two different things,” Bonta stated. “Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court reins in the destabilizing actions of a rogue Sheriff, prohibiting him from continuing this investigation while our litigation continues.”
Bianco’s office has not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
The sheriff, who is among two leading Republican contenders for governor in the state, has previously justified his investigation by pointing out that a county judge authorized it. Last week, Bianco announced he would suspend the investigation due to increasing legal opposition.
