California Media Outlets Demand Access to Sealed Warrants in Sheriff's Ballot Seizure Case

Outlets argue public has right to scrutinize competing claims by state officials over election integrity investigation.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 5:25pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A dimly lit, cinematic government office space with a single ballot box sitting on a desk, conveying a sense of political tension and uncertainty.The public's right to access information about a high-stakes election integrity investigation is at the heart of this political dispute.Riverside Today

A coalition of California media outlets, including CalMatters, the New York Times, and Los Angeles Times, have filed a motion in Riverside County court seeking public access to the sealed warrants that allowed Sheriff Chad Bianco to seize hundreds of thousands of ballots as part of an investigation into the outcome of the November 2025 special election. The outlets are also petitioning the California Supreme Court to have the records unsealed, arguing the public has a right to scrutinize the competing claims between Bianco and Attorney General Rob Bonta over the integrity of the election.

Why it matters

The ballot seizure case has become a bitter dispute over election integrity between two powerful state officials, Bianco and Bonta, who are both running for office. Keeping the warrants and supporting statements sealed has prevented the public from being able to fully evaluate the claims and counterclaims made by the two politicians.

The details

Sheriff Chad Bianco obtained three warrants in February and March from a Riverside County judge to seize more than 1,400 boxes of Proposition 50 election materials from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. Bianco intended to recount the more than 600,000 ballots cast in the county last year as part of an investigation over what a local activist group called discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and number tallied. However, the county's top elections official has rejected those claims. Bonta and the UCLA Voting Rights Project have filed legal challenges seeking to halt Bianco's investigation, arguing the sheriff failed to allege a crime or provide enough cause to justify seizing the ballots.

  • In February and March 2026, Sheriff Bianco obtained three warrants from a Riverside County judge.
  • In March 2026, Bianco held a press conference announcing the ballot seizure investigation.

The players

Chad Bianco

The Republican sheriff of Riverside County who is running for governor and obtained warrants to seize ballots as part of an investigation into the 2025 special election.

Rob Bonta

The Democratic California Attorney General who is running for re-election and has filed legal challenges to halt Bianco's ballot seizure investigation.

Art Tinoco

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters who has rejected claims of discrepancies in the 2025 election results.

Jay Kiel

The Riverside County judge who sealed the warrants at the request of Sheriff Bianco.

Jean-Paul Jassy

The attorney representing the coalition of media outlets seeking to unseal the warrants.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The public should not be forced to navigate these competing allegations without the facts on which the investigation is based. Nor does the law require them to.”

— Jean-Paul Jassy, Attorney for media outlets

“No, you're not going to. When (the investigation's) over, like every other case that's sealed, when it's unsealed, you'll get to see it. … Don't you act like this is something out of the ordinary, because it is not.”

— Chad Bianco, Riverside County Sheriff

What’s next

The California Supreme Court is expected to rule on Attorney General Bonta's emergency petition to halt Sheriff Bianco's ballot seizure investigation.

The takeaway

This case highlights the importance of transparency and public access to information related to election integrity investigations, especially when they involve competing claims by high-profile political figures. The media's efforts to unseal the warrants and supporting documents are crucial for allowing the public to fully evaluate the merits of each side's arguments.