California Supreme Court halts Chad Bianco's investigation into Prop 50 ballots
The California Supreme Court unanimously ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to halt his investigation into alleged voter fraud in last November’s special election.
The court also agreed to consider Attorney General Rob Bonta’s argument that the investigation is illegal because it oversteps Bianco’s legal authority as sheriff. The justices ordered the parties to agree on a special master to take possession of all the evidence, including the more than 650,000 ballots Bianco’s office seized in February and March.
Bianco, a Republican hopeful for governor, previously said he voluntarily halted the investigation in the face of legal challenges.
The court will also hear arguments from a handful of news outlets petitioning to unseal the warrant that allowed the Sheriff’s Office to seize ballots. The judge who granted that warrant, Riverside Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, has publicly praised Bianco.
“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,” Bonta said in a statement.
The investigation centers on claims from a group called the Riverside Election Integrity Team that alleged local election officials had not counted some 45,000 ballots in the Nov. 4 vote on Proposition 50. Riverside County election officials have said those tabulations were wrong and relied on unverified data.
In legal filings, the Attorney General’s Office said the investigation centered on “baseless claims of election irregularities.” The office said they contacted Bianco several times and ordered him to stop the investigation shortly after it started. Instead, Bianco proceeded.
Bianco did not immediately respond to a phone call and text message seeking comment.
Bianco’s gubernatorial hopes took a blow earlier this week when President Donald Trump endorsed a different Republican, former Fox News host Steve Hilton, in the race. Polls have shown Bianco and Hilton at or near the top of the crowded field ahead of the June 2 primary, but Trump’s nod has previously helped consolidate GOP support behind his chosen candidate.
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 12:39 PM.
