Riverside County Sheriff Expected to Run for California Governor

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is reportedly weighing a campaign for California governor.Screen Shot from Official Video

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is planning to run for governor of the state of California in 2026, a source with the campaign confirmed to CBS News Los Angeles Wednesday.

Bianco is expected to make an official announcement on his coming run Monday, according to the source. Last week, Attorney General Rob Bonta told Politico he won't be running for governor in 2026 while Kamala Harris brushed off speculation during a visit surveying the Palisades Fire site earlier this month, neither confirming nor refuting reports that she will run. Current Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot run again in 2026.

Bianco most recently spoke out against alleged rumors of ICE raids being carried out by deputies within the Riverside County Sheriff's Department — releasing a video in which he also criticized the California sanctuary state law. While confirming deputies were not making immigration-related arrests, he slammed the legislation, SB 54, calling it "dangerous" and vowing to "fight to reform" it.

The law, also known as the California Values Act, prohibits most cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, barring local police agencies from sharing information about the immigration status of detainees or arresting individuals solely on the basis of their status. Bianco said he would still try to cooperate with ICE in making removals from jails.