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Residents urge independent oversight after sheriff takes custody of ballots
Summary
Public commenters and several supervisors urged independent review and stronger safeguards after the Riverside County sheriff took custody of ballots; Supervisor Medina referred possible misuse of county resources to the county fraud, waste and abuse committee.
Public commenters and some county supervisors pressed Riverside County leaders on election integrity and the sheriff’s actions after a March 20 press conference in which the sheriff took custody of a large number of ballots.
"I hope you will read the grand jury's report very carefully," said Reverend Jane Quandt of the Sheriff Accountability Coalition during the public comment period, citing recent donations from the Riverside Sheriffs Association and calling for stronger limits on contributions to supervisors. Other residents urged a formal, independent investigation into whether county resources were used for political purposes.
Fidel Chagoya of Riverside All of Us or None said he was "deeply concerned about the ongoing concentration of power and control associated with Sheriff Chad Bianco" and asked the board to support a thorough, independent review into alleged misuse of county resources connected to claims about election fraud.
Several speakers asked the board to ensure custody procedures and public transparency for ballots now held by a special master. Nathan Kemp, operations director at Star River Strong, requested that the registrar provide existing county ballot-handling and chain-of-custody safeguards to the special master and urged public updates on who has access to ballots.
Supervisor Medina said he had issued a public statement calling the sheriff’s March 20 press conference a potential misuse of public funds and referred the matter to the county’s fraud, waste and abuse committee for review. "I have now referred this to our county's fraud, waste and abuse committee," he told the board during member comments.
Board members said they are hearing the public’s concerns and that some inquiries will proceed through existing legal and administrative channels; no new formal oversight committee was created during the meeting. Several speakers warned that silence or inaction would erode public trust.
The board did not take a formal, board-level vote to open a new oversight investigation during the meeting; Supervisor Medina’s referral to the fraud, waste and abuse committee is the most recent procedural step recorded in the transcript.
