RivCo Sheriff To Be Sworn In For 6-Year Term, Inmates Make His Podium

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — After his successful reelection campaign last year, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco will be sworn into office Wednesday for his second term — which, this time around, will be six years.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with live-streaming on social media feeds for the sheriff's department.

The lawman will take the oath of office at a new podium built for the occasion by county inmates assigned to the sheriff department’s training and education bureau.

The inmates "made me this custom podium for tomorrow’s swearing in ceremony," the sheriff posted Tuesday afternoon on social media. "The woodwork and welding [are] part of our certification programs for re-entry and to help prevent recidivism. The workmanship is fantastic!"

Bianco was first elected to office in November 2018 when he ousted sitting Sheriff Stan Sniff.

Bianco won reelection during the June 2022 primary race by besting challenger Michael J. Lujan with 60.71% of votes cast. With the majority, Bianco avoided a November runoff.

After the June win, Bianco learned his four-year term would be extended to six. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 759. The law mandates that elections for California's sheriffs and district attorneys be held in the same years as U.S. presidential contests. In the past, sheriff and D.A. elections were held the same years as the state's gubernatorial races.

The alleged aim of the new law is higher voter turnout for the important county posts.

Riverside County sheriff and district attorney terms are four years each. Since AB 759 was approved in 2022, Bianco's term will be extended by two years to the 2028 presidential election rather than cut short to the 2024 contest.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin is in the same boat. He won a majority in the June 2022 primary — 54.96% — and avoided a runoff.

In a released statement from the sheriff's department following AB 759's approval, spokesperson Sgt. Brandi Swan said the bill's passage "is a huge victory for the community members of Riverside County. [Bianco and Hestrin] will now get an extended six-year term to safeguard the residents, arrest those responsible for crime, and successfully prosecute offenders to the fullest. We believe in stability for our county and public safety will now be guaranteed for the next six years."