Career
Bianco was first elected Riverside County sheriff in 2018. [6] He was re-elected in 2022 with about 60% of votes for a term set to last until 2028 due to a state law changing sheriff election years to match presidential ones. [7] [8] Bianco has been hosted on Fox News,as well as by conservative pastors on YouTube channels and podcasts. [7] As of 2023,Bianco's department had over 3,600 employees and was managing five jails. [9]
In 2020,during the COVID-19 Pandemic,Bianco stated that he would not enforce Coronavirus mandates and did not plan to get vaccinated. [10] [11] He tested positively for the virus in January 2021 with mild symptoms,after which he started quarantining at his home. [11]
In 2022,Riverside County jails registered 18 inmate deaths,the biggest number in 15 years. The spike prompted multiple civil lawsuits against the county's prison facilities and Bianco himself. [12] [13] [14] In 2023,Bianco's department was placed under investigation by the California Department of Justice to determine if the organization had "engaged in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing amid deeply concerning allegations relating to conditions of confinement in its jail facilities,excessive force,and other misconduct." [15] [16] In relation to those incidents,Bianco stated that "every single one of these inmate deaths was out of anyone’s control". [12]
Bianco’s handling of the arrest of Vem Miller near a Donald Trump rally led to a $100 million federal lawsuit against him and Riverside County,with Miller alleging defamation and civil rights violations after Bianco claimed the arrest thwarted a potential assassination attempt. [17] [18]
Personal life
Bianco moved from Utah to California in 1989,and in 1993 attended the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy. He graduated at the top of his class,and joined the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department shortly after graduation. Bianco and his family attend Sandals Church in Riverside.
Following a hacking incident in September 2021 against a database belonging to the Oath Keepers,Bianco,along with over 200 law-enforcement officers,was exposed as a former member of the organization. [1] [6] [23] He later stated that he had paid for a $40 one-year membership in the organization in 2014 and did not renew it for the next year. Bianco has since disavowed the group's violent conduct. [24] [1] [2]
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