Count on Chuck Washington and Manny Perez to Mess Up

A Call for Accountability in Riverside County

On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors faced a proposal that seemed modest at first glance: to establish some form of oversight over the county’s sheriff’s department. However, the board, which is largely aligned with the Riverside Sheriffs Association (RSA), chose to reject the idea. This decision was unsurprising given the deep ties between the board and the RSA, which has long supported the sheriff’s department without significant scrutiny.

Supervisor Jose Medina introduced a motion to create an ad hoc committee that would explore the possibility of forming an oversight committee and an office of the inspector general. The goal was to bring more accountability to the sheriff’s department, which has a troubling history of excessive use of force, one of the deadliest jail systems in the country, and repeated financial burdens on the county due to costly settlements. Additionally, the department has been linked to serious misconduct, including "sextortion" and drug trafficking by deputies.

The current state of affairs clearly isn’t working. Sheriff Chad Bianco, who has led the department through a series of scandals, has struggled to manage the department effectively. For years, there have been calls for independent oversight to ensure that the sheriff’s department is held accountable and that public confidence can be restored. However, the Board of Supervisors has consistently delayed action, as this issue has been deeply entangled with their own interests.

It was never expected that then-Supervisor Kevin Jeffries or current Supervisor Karen Spiegel, both Republicans, would support reform. Jeffries often spoke about government reform in broad terms but took little real action. Even among the two Democratic supervisors, one might expect more openness to holding the sheriff’s department accountable. But that hasn’t been the case either.

As previously noted, Supervisors Chuck Washington and V. Manuel Perez supported Bianco’s election in 2018 and have remained strong allies of the deputies’ union. This alliance has created a cycle where the RSA backs Washington and Perez, helping them appear law enforcement-friendly, while they, in turn, support pay raises for the union. Given that Bianco became sheriff thanks to the RSA's backing, Washington and Perez have consistently defended him.

Washington once described Bianco as “a fresh face full of fresh ideas on how to provide better service to Riverside County residents while at the same time, creating better efficiencies.” If what Washington had in mind was making the sheriff’s department more efficient at generating lawsuits, then he was right. Similarly, Perez praised Bianco’s plan for community-oriented policing, though it seems to have meant things like conducting warrantless raids on elderly people, losing large amounts of drugs during sting operations, and physically abusing children with disabilities.

On Tuesday, both Washington and Perez used the excuse of needing more dialogue to delay any meaningful discussion on oversight. This tactic is a classic way to avoid taking action, and it worked well enough to prevent the motion from moving forward.

Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez, a Democrat elected in 2022 with significant support from the RSA, also played a role in the rejection. She left the meeting before the discussion on sheriff’s oversight began, highlighting the lack of commitment from the board.

Despite these setbacks, Supervisor Medina deserves recognition for attempting to push for accountability. His efforts reflect a rare willingness to challenge the status quo. Hopefully, he will continue his advocacy and find ways to convince at least two of his colleagues to take the right step for the sake of the county and its residents.