Sheriff Chad Bianco Accuses AG Rob Bonta of Intimidation in Prop 50 Ballot Discrepancy Investigation

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading 2026 Republican gubernatorial candidate, held a press conference Friday morning to expose what he described as repeated attempts by Attorney General Rob Bonta to intimidate and derail his office’s investigation into a massive 45,896-ballot discrepancy in the November 2025 Proposition 50 special election. 

Bianco detailed a stunning mismatch uncovered through an audit of handwritten logs maintained by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters: county records show just 611,428 ballots cast. Yet Secretary of State Shirley Weber certified 657,322 votes to the state — a gap neither Bonta nor Weber has ever publicly questioned or investigated.

“This investigation is very simple,” Bianco stated. “Our investigation will determine the validity of that alleged discrepancy… We will do that by physically counting the ballots. This is not a recount to determine how many votes were for or against Prop 50.”

🚨🚨NEW: Sheriff @ChadBianco held a press conference this morning accusing @AGRobBonta of trying to intimidate the Riverside County Sheriff’s investigation into the 2025 Prop 50 election.

It centers on a huge 45,896-vote discrepancy: County logs show 611,428 ballots cast — but… pic.twitter.com/Pw2oQrLar5

— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) March 20, 2026

The sheriff revealed that weeks ago, a representative from Bonta’s office contacted him directly and demanded the probe be halted until after March 6. Follow-up letters from the attorney general on February 26 and March 4 reiterated the order to stop. No legal justification was provided.

“Instead of addressing the discrepancy, Bonta has tried multiple times to shut down our investigation,” Bianco said, accusing the state’s top law enforcement officer of intimidation tactics aimed at protecting the integrity of a controversial measure critics have long labeled an election-rigging power grab. 

Proposition 50 — Governor Gavin Newsom’s so-called “Election Rigging Response Act” — amended the state constitution to allow the Democrat-controlled Legislature to redraw congressional districts mid-decade, bypassing the independent redistricting commission. The measure passed amid widespread concerns it was designed to entrench one-party power in Washington, D.C. and in California. 

This latest development fits a pattern of obstruction by Bonta’s office in Prop 50-related matters. As the California Globe previously reported, the attorney general has repeatedly sought to delay court proceedings and “run out the clock on justice” in lawsuits tied to the measure. 

A Riverside Superior Court judge issued a decisive ruling on Thursday, appointing a special master to oversee the resumption of the sheriff’s ballot counting and investigation under the court’s jurisdiction. The order explicitly rebuffed Bonta’s interference, citing separation of powers.

“AG Bonta is part of the executive branch of this state,” Bianco emphasized. “Under the separation of powers principle, AG Bonta does not have authority over the court or evidence. I will carry out my constitutional duty to pursue justice impartially.”

The investigation is ongoing with no firm timeline for completion. Bianco stressed there is “no acceptable error” in elections — especially not one involving nearly 46,000 unaccounted-for ballots.

As Californians prepare for the 2026 gubernatorial race, where Bianco continues to rack up endorsements and poll strongly among Republican voters amid Democratic infighting, this episode underscores growing skepticism over state election oversight under the Newsom-Bonta-Weber regime. 

The California Globe will continue monitoring developments and demanding full transparency. Californians deserve to know every ballot was legitimate — and that no one, not even the attorney general, is above the law.