RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) California Attorney General Rob Bonta will get to argue against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco on two fronts when the state Supreme Court takes up the ballot seizure fight later this month.

The court has invited Bonta to argue in support of the Riverside County voters suing Bianco, in addition to arguing his own case against the sheriff, according to a court order obtained by News Channel 3.

Both cases will be heard back to back at a special session starting at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 24, in San Francisco.

The ruling will decide what happens to the ballots of roughly 650,000 Riverside County voters from the November 2025 special election. It will also set the rules for every sheriff and every elections office in California.

"We look forward to making our case in court," the attorney general's press office told News Channel 3 in an email Tuesday.

What happened

Bianco seized about 650,000 ballots and other election materials from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters this year, starting with a search warrant in February. He says he is investigating whether ballots from the November 2025 Proposition 50 special election were fraudulently counted.

Bonta ordered the sheriff to stop. Bianco kept going and seized hundreds of additional boxes. Bonta then took the fight to the state's highest court.

On April 8, the Supreme Court ordered Bianco to pause his investigation and preserve everything he seized.

The Sheriff's Office told News Channel 3 on June 24 it still has possession of the 2025 ballots.

The two cases

The first case is Cervantes v. Bianco. A group of Riverside County voters wants a court order sending the ballots back to the registrar. They argue the seizure violated the state Elections Code, which keeps voted ballots in the custody of elections officials.

The second case is Attorney General v. Bianco. It asks who is really in charge. The state constitution says the attorney general has direct supervision over every sheriff in California. Bonta wants a court order forcing Bianco to end his investigation. Bianco says the attorney general cannot shut down a lawful criminal investigation that a judge approved.

The court will also weigh a new state law. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 73 on May 27. It makes it a felony to knowingly take voted ballots from elections officials and limits when law enforcement can access ballots and voting equipment. The court ordered both sides to address whether the new law changes anything.

Bianco and Bonta

In a one on one interview with News Channel 3 last month, Bianco called Bonta "an absolute complete fraud that is abusing the power of his office" and said the attorney general "is doing everything he can to stop a lawful investigation."

"He doesn't want me to find out how many ballots we really have," Bianco said.

Bianco ran for governor this year and finished out of the running in the June 2 primary.

He confirmed to News Channel 3 last month he will run for reelection as sheriff in 2028.

Bonta says Bianco "willfully defied my direct orders, seized 650,000 ballots, misused criminal investigatory tools, and created a constitutional emergency in the process."

The fight is also on the November ballot. Michael Gates, the Republican former Huntington Beach city attorney challenging Bonta for attorney general, has Bianco's endorsement.

Gates told News Channel 3 he supported the investigation from day one.

"When I'm attorney general, I am going to make sure that Sheriff Chad Bianco can investigate and finish his investigation," Gates said.

News Channel 3 has requested an interview with Bonta multiple times.

What happens next

Bonta and Weber must formally notify the court by Friday whether they will take part in the arguments. The court will then issue an order laying out who argues and in what sequence.

The arguments stream live Aug. 24 at supreme.courts.ca.gov.

Under the state constitution, the justices must rule within 90 days of taking the case under submission. That puts a decision on track for late November at the latest, after voters choose between Bonta and Gates on Nov. 3.

News Channel 3 will stream the arguments live and break down the ruling when it comes.