Supervisor Chuck Washington Holds Early Lead Over Jonathan Ingram

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County Supervisor Charles "Chuck" Washington was holding a comfortable lead Tuesday evening in early returns for the Third District supervisorial race, where he's pitted against an ex-local mayor and a former candidate for state treasurer.

The initial count in the Tuesday primary showed Washington, 71, capturing 57% of the vote, with former Murrieta Mayor Jonathan Ingram, 58, at 23% and former Cudahy Mayor Jack M. Guerrero, 50, of Temecula, at 20%, with less than one-fifth of votes tabulated.

Washington touted support for efforts to enhance economic development and job growth in his campaign literature, suggesting he spearheaded efforts to increase county government reserves by 150%, although the push for an enlarged reserve pool — now estimated to reach almost $700 million at the end of the current fiscal year — began under prior administrations.

"My ongoing dedication to enhancing your quality of life involves partnering with local cities to address homelessness, reduce crime and attract more jobs to Riverside County," said the incumbent, who was originally appointed to his seat by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015, filling a vacancy left by Supervisor Jeff Stone, who had been elected to state Senate.

Washington was elected in his own right in 2016 and again in 2020.

He underscored "wide-ranging endorsements" as points for voters to ponder, particularly those from Sheriff Chad Bianco and other law enforcement officials.

The candidate hasn't always been on first-rate terms with them, though.

During the George Floyd-fueled protests of June 2020, Washington signaled support for Supervisor Manuel Perez's proposal mandating a top-to- bottom review of sheriff's field procedures, based almost exclusively on the furor over what happened in Minneapolis, not anything that had occurred locally.

Bianco and Riverside Sheriffs' Association President Bill Young openly blasted the measure, which failed.

Ingram said in his campaign statement that his eight years as a Murrieta City Councilman helped him develop a sense of how to connect with constituents, and he would bring that to the table as a supervisor.

"Public safety, traffic congestion and well-paying jobs are our district's most pressing issues," Ingram said. "Our residents feel ignored, which is why I have made community safety a top priority. By tackling the root causes of crime, such as homelessness, drugs and mental health concerns, we empowered our public safety teams to effectively combat crime, making Murrieta one of the safest cities in California."

He said one of his objectives will be examining future opportunities to promote job creation within the county to make the "two-hour daily commute" to coastal cities for work "a thing of the past."

Guerrero has showcased his credentials as a certified public accountant and adviser to Fortune 500 companies as attributes that would prove beneficial to creating a leaner, stronger county government.

"I offer fresh, bold leadership," the candidate said. "I am unapologetically conservative and a constitutionalist. I demand honest government, election integrity, term limits, balanced budgets, internal controls, parental rights and respect for the Constitution. I support public safety, better roads and superior infrastructure, while lowering taxes across the board."

The candidate, who made an unsuccessful bid for state treasurer in 2022, grew up in southeast Los Angeles County, where he said acts of public corruption powered his desire to get involved in politics, leading to his long stint as a council member and mayor in Cudahy, where he worked to "balance the budget ... (and) expose millions of dollars in wasteful spending."