Judge grants expedited hearing in lawsuit over Riverside County ballots

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) A Riverside County judge on Wednesday granted an expedited briefing schedule in Attorney General Rob Bonta's lawsuit against Sheriff Chad Bianco over his department's possession of ballots from the November 2025 Proposition 50 special election, setting an April 13 hearing on the merits.

Judge Dorothy McLaughlin approved the accelerated timeline during a hearing in Department 10 of Riverside County Superior Court, where Bonta's office argued the case is an emergency. The AG's attorneys told the court the sheriff is not legally permitted to possess the ballots and continues to defy the attorney general's constitutional supervisory authority over law enforcement investigations. They said they are prepared to move as quickly as the court requires.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has confirmed to News Channel 3 that it is in possession of all ballots from the November 2025 special election.

Sheriff Bianco's attorney Robert Tyler pushed back against the pace, arguing that a case of this magnitude should not be rushed through on a two-day briefing schedule. Tyler told the court his team has been forced to respond to four emergency petitions in the span of four days. He called the timeline prejudicial but ultimately agreed to the schedule with a hearing on the merits scheudled for April 13.

The Superior Court case is one of two legal tracks. Bonta has also filed a separate petition at the California Supreme Court, where Tyler filed an answer on Tuesday, April 1. Tyler told the court Wednesday that he expects a ruling from the Supreme Court by Friday or Monday.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican candidate for governor, launched the investigation after a local citizens group alleged a discrepancy of roughly 45,000 votes in the Riverside County Prop 50 results. Registrar of Voters Art Tinoco has said the actual discrepancy was 103 votes. Bianco said over the weekend that the investigation is on hold due to what he called politically motivated lawsuits.

This is a developing story and will be updated with additional information as it comes in.