California Attorney General Announces Legal Consequences for Sheriff Over Ballot Seizure

California Attorney General Rob Bonta stated on Thursday that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco will face legal consequences following a unanimous ruling by the state Supreme Court, which found that Bianco's seizure of approximately 650,000 ballots violated state law. Bonta emphasized that the highest court in the state determined that Bianco unlawfully took election materials from the registrar of voters, contrary to the elections code. The case underscores concerns regarding the impact of election deniers in positions of authority on the democratic process, as Bianco seized the ballots based on information from an anti-voting group known for disseminating misinformation. The court ordered Bianco to return the seized ballots immediately and affirmed Bonta's constitutional authority to issue binding directives to county sheriffs during criminal investigations. Bonta noted that Bianco must comply with the attorney general's directives and return the ballots. He also referenced legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom earlier in the year, which imposes criminal penalties for the unlawful removal of election materials from local election officials. Bonta indicated that there would be further actions regarding other seized election materials, stating that his office would instruct Bianco to return those items as well. He characterized Bianco's actions as unlawful and reiterated the expectation for compliance with the court's orders.