Sheriff Slams Dems Over ‘Love Affair’ With Criminals as He Gains in CA Gov Race

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is running for governor of California in 2026, is warning that Democratic lawmakers are putting both police and the public in danger with policies that protect criminals and punish law enforcement.

Appearing on Newsmax’s Sunday Report, Bianco blasted Democrats for their latest effort to unmask Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents involved in arrests — calling it a reckless and politically motivated move.

“It’s extremely dangerous,” Bianco said. “It’s interesting that they didn’t want criminals unmasked a couple of months ago, but now they want law enforcement unmasked. The problem that they’re having is they can’t identify them to terrorize them at their homes and their kids at school and everything else, and that’s what the Democrat Party wants.”

Bianco emphasized that protecting officer identities is a matter of safety, not secrecy.

“It is a safety factor for these law enforcement officers, whether it’s local or whether it’s federal, to make sure that they cannot be identified, especially during these protest enforcements and things like that,” he said.

The sheriff also pointed to a deadly truck crash caused by a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from India as a tragic example of California’s failed sanctuary policies.

“This is just another example of the love affair that Democrats have with criminals, particularly in this state,” Bianco said.

He warned that California’s sanctuary laws have stripped police of their ability to enforce immigration laws, leading to devastating consequences.

“They have made us a sanctuary state where we cannot even try and identify anyone that’s here illegally. And then they give them driver’s licenses willingly. You can’t ask for proof of citizenship. You just fill out the application, you lie on it, and then you get your driver’s license.”

Bianco said such policies will only end when “good people, until good Americans stand up and say, enough is enough.”

The sheriff also defended President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to San Francisco, arguing that Gov. Gavin Newsom has failed to protect Californians.

“The number one role of government is to protect its citizens. And Gavin Newsom has proven for decades that he has no interest in protecting California,” Bianco said.

He painted a grim picture of life under Newsom’s leadership:

“When you park your car on the street and you roll down your windows so people won’t break your windows to get into your car, you know there is something seriously wrong, and the governor knows it.”

Bianco accused Newsom of creating the very crisis he now pretends to manage.

“He started this back when he was mayor of San Francisco, and he’s continued it to the entire state, enabling criminal behavior,” he said.

Residents in San Francisco and Oakland, Bianco said, are “begging for help from any law enforcement, including the federal government.”

“We just see over and over this complete fraud of a governor, Gavin Newsom, trying to appease to his base. And we’re the victims.”

Meanwhile, the latest Emerson College poll shows Republican candidate Steve Hilton taking a narrow lead in California’s gubernatorial race with 16% support, edging out Democrat Katie Porter at 15%. Sheriff Bianco currently polls at 11%, placing him within striking distance as conservative momentum builds in the deep-blue state.

Hilton said in a statement that “everyone can see we need change, and some political balance in California,” while Porter’s campaign claimed she remains “the experienced, battle-tested fighter that Californians want as their next governor.”