Editor’s note: All of The Riverside Record’s reporting about Sheriff Chad Bianco’s election investigation can be found here. All legal documents pertaining to this case obtained by The Riverside Record can be accessed here.
Stay up to date with the latest from The Record. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter today!
Sheriff Chad Bianco has filed a claim in an effort to get the county to cover legal costs associated with four lawsuits filed against him as a result of his department’s investigation into the November 2025 special statewide election, first reported by The Riverside Record.
“The [California Government Claims Act] requires [an administrative] claim to be made before a lawsuit is filed for the purpose of perhaps avoiding a lawsuit,” Bianco’s attorney Bradley Hertz said in a phone call with The Record. “They have 45 days to respond, and we look forward to their response.”
Public Information Officer Brooke Federico, in a statement to The Record, said the claim would be reviewed to “determine next steps.” Bianco did not immediately respond to The Record’s request for comment.
According to the claim, filed October 16, Bianco is seeking reimbursement for “reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses” related to the three lawsuits filed by Attorney General Rob Bonta and a suit filed by the UCLA Voting Rights Project on behalf of four Riverside County voters.
Bianco has previously said he would use funds from his reelection campaign in an effort to cover the costs and has sent multiple emails to supporters asking for donations to aid in the legal fight.
If the county rejects the claim, Hertz said Bianco was prepared to file an unlimited civil suit in order to recoup his costs. This type of filing is limited to cases with a monetary amount greater than $35,000. Hertz declined to state how much Bianco was seeking, but said it was more than the statutory threshold.
The claim stems from an April 16 vote by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, in which four members voted to reject Bianco’s request to cover the cost of outside counsel to represent him in the lawsuits. Board Chair Karen Spiegel was the lone dissenter.
Bianco sought outside counsel after being unable to obtain representation from county counsel due to a conflict of interest, since the department was representing the Riverside County Registrar of Voters (ROV).
At the time, Supervisor Jose Medina, who has been a staunch critic of the sheriff, said there were clear criteria for covering the cost of obtaining outside counsel, which did not apply in this case, because he said Bianco was acting outside the scope of his position.
The claim, however, argued Bianco’s actions were within the purview of his employment as the duly elected sheriff, despite the subsequent rulings by the California Supreme Court.
“The fact that the legality of certain investigative actions was disputed, or that county officials disagreed with those actions, does not establish that claimant acted outside the scope of his employment, nor does it relieve the county of its statutory defense obligations,” according to the claim.
The Supreme Court last month found Bianco had violated California Elections Code by removing the ballots from the custody of the ROV and that he was required to follow Bonta’s directives regarding the investigation.
In a Friday phone call with The Record, Medina said he was not surprised Bianco filed a claim for reimbursement but that he was fairly certain the county would reject the claim and also prevail in court if Bianco filed suit.
“I’ve had no discussion with the other supervisors, but I would assume they, like myself, believe that the course of action we took was proper,” he said. “And I don’t think anybody would want to go back and basically undo it.”
The Riverside Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet providing Riverside County with high-quality journalism free of charge. We’re able to do this because of the generous donations of supporters like you!