Thursday, June 24 | Volume 40 No.15

THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2026

Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition Responds to Sheriff Bianco's Attack on Grand Jury Oversight Report

Jails, the Community Deserves Transparency tion exists because the state jail inspection

BIANCO

Sheriff Chad Bianco

RIVERSIDE, CA The Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition (RSAC) today re- leased a point-by-point rebuttal to Sheriff Chad Bianco's public statement attacking the 2025- 26 Riverside County Civil Grand Jury report, "After a Decade of Record Deaths in County

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(iii) CALIFORNIA through Oversight."

The Grand Jury report calls for independent civilian oversight of the Riverside County Sheriff's Office following a decade of jail deaths, millions in settlement costs, and an ac- tive California Attorney General civil rights investigation. In response, Sheriff Bianco is- sued a statement calling the report "worth absolutely nothing," accusing the Grand Jury of being driven by "anti-law enforcement ac- tivists," and disputing the report's findings on oversight, death rates, and accountability. RSAC's rebuttal addresses each of Bianco's claims using the Grand Jury report itself, in- dependent reporting, and public records including the fact that this administration has responded to multiple prior Grand Jury reports on jail operations without objection, and that the Sheriff is now attacking a process his own department screened every juror for, cooper- ated with, and endorsed.

"Sheriff Bianco endorsed this process for eight sand is now calling it illegitimate. He cites studies that Isay the opposite of what he claims. The federal consent decree exists because his jails failed constitutional minimums a decade ago and still haven't fixed it, and the Califor- nia Attorney General's civil rights investigayears

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For the love of Californians agency found gaps serious enough to trigger it - yet he points to both as proof everything is fine. Worse, he conveniently excluded the two worst years on record — include them and the death rate he claims nearly doubles," said Nathan Kempe, Operations Director at Start- ing Over Strong and RSAC coalition member. "This pattern of misrepresenting evidence and politicizing accountability has cost taxpayers millions in settlements, 29 people their lives in Riverside County jails since the AG investiga- tion opened in 2023, and Riverside County its reputation as a safe place to live and work." About RSAC: The Riverside Sheriff Account- ability Coalition (RSAC) is a diverse group of Riverside County residents and organiza- tions (including ACLU of Southern Califor- nia, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Starting Over Inc., Starting Over Strong, LWV Riverside, ChiCCCAA, and oth- ers) calling on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to provide much-needed account- ability for the Riverside County Sheriff's Of- fice. We believe independent oversight of law enforcement is good for both deputies and the community they serve, and is important for good government practices. rivcosheriffac- countability.org.