Media coalition urges judge to unseal Bianco election warrants - The Desert Sun

A media coalition, including The Desert Sun and its parent company, USA TODAY Co., has asked a Riverside County judge to unseal the search warrants in Sheriff Chad Bianco's now-paused investigation into alleged voter fraud in the November 2025 special election.

The motion, filed April 1 in Riverside County Superior Court, seeks the documents connected to three search warrants issued Feb. 9, Feb. 23 and March 19, arguing the records must be released under California law so the public can understand the basis of the investigation that led to the seizure of ballots.

The media coalition also includes The Riverside Record, which first reported Bianco's ballot seizure, along with the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and other news organizations.

"The proceedings here have occurred entirely in secret," the filing states, calling that secrecy "unprecedented" in a dispute that has otherwise played out publicly through press conferences, court filings and public meetings.

The search warrants authorized deputies to seize the ballots and other election materials from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters and included affidavits outlining the evidence investigators presented to justify the searches.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta — whose office has been separately investigating the Riverside County Sheriff's Department since February 2023 due to a rise in jail deaths and other issues — has argued in court filings that the warrants fail to identify specific crimes or suspects.

Multiple lawsuits across the state have been filed in an attempt to stop Bianco's department from criminally investigating the 2025 election, which redrew congressional districts in favor of Democrats, a response to a similar law passed in Texas that drew districts favorable to Republicans.

Bianco's seizure of Riverside County's ballots stems from an audit conducted by a local group calling itself the Riverside Election Integrity Team, claiming the county's tally included nearly 46,000 more ballots than were received in the election, which the county has rejected.

The group, whose complaint led to the Riverside County investigation, has ties to a right-wing group, United Sovereign Americans — members of which have filed lawsuits claiming election fraud or voter registration errors in states across the nation.

The investigation also comes as Bianco, a Trump supporter who has spent years blasting Democratic state leaders, is running for governor as a Republican. Polls show he is among the leading candidates.

President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have made claims for years of widespread election fraud, none of which have been proven.

During an hourlong presentation in February to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco said the group's allegation is based on a misunderstanding of ballot processing because it relies on preliminary intake logs that record ballots as they are received but not yet verified or counted.

The ballots go through additional steps — including signature verification and eligibility checks — before they are included in the final tally, and comparing those early logs to final results can create the appearance of a discrepancy, he said.

What the court filing seeks

The media coalition argues that state law requires search warrant materials to be made public after 10 days and that there is no valid legal basis for keeping the records sealed.

The motion does not take a position on the merits or the alleged election irregularities. Instead, it argues that the public has a right to see the factual basis that supported the warrants in a case that involves the integrity of a statewide election and the seizure of more than 650,000 ballots.

"The public should not be forced to navigate these competing allegations without the facts on which the investigation is based," the filing states.

The filing also argues that the Riverside County Sheriff's Office has already publicly disclosed key details about the investigation, undercutting any claim that continued secrecy is necessary.

It further argues that state law does not allow records to remain sealed simply because an investigation is "ongoing."

What happens next

The motion asks the court to unseal the records or, if necessary, release them with limited redactions rather than blanket secrecy.

"We are on hold because of the politically motivated lawsuits and court filings," Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor, said in a statement shared March 30, with The Desert Sun.

At the time, the sheriff's office declined to answer other questions related to the investigation, including what it plans to do next.

(This story was updated to add information.)

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at [email protected].