(INSIDE CALIFORNIA POLITICS) — As the race for California governor continues to take shape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Inside California Politics is sitting down with the candidates for in-depth conversations about the biggest issues facing the state and their plans to address them.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is one of several Republicans vying for the state’s top office. Recent polling from Emerson College and The Hill shows Bianco currently sits in third place behind former Congresswoman Katie Porter (D) and former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R). Bianco was first elected as Riverside County Sheriff in 2018 before winning reelection in 2022. His career with the department spans more than three decades.
“Dealing with government like I have, I know it’s broken,” Bianco told host Nikki Laurenzo. “I know not only the internal workings of our own county government, but I know where it’s broken in the state also. And as I watched everyone signing up to be the next governor, it was the same names, the same faces of the people that put us here in this position to begin with.”
When speculation surrounding Bianco’s gubernatorial bid began to surface earlier this year, news organizations such as Politico labeled him as a firebrand and a MAGA extremist — characterizations Bianco said he disagrees with.
“Initially, it kind of shocked me. I didn’t even know what a firebrand was,” Bianco said. “I had to come to the realization [that] they’re going to paint you as something because that’s what they’re going to be running against. They’re never going to run against Sheriff Chad Bianco, the 32-year law enforcement public servant who has an impeccable history of service to his community, integrity, honesty, all those things. They’ll never run against that. That’s what they’re afraid of. But they will run against the Trump, MAGA, extremist, he’s under investigation, all of these things that they have made up. That’s easy to run against.”
Bianco said he decided to run for California governor after several people reached out to him about a pathway to victory, including Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. The former Clark County Sheriff narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Steve Sisolak in 2022, signaling a shift in the importance of public safety as a top issue for voters.
“You look at the success now and [Nevada] is thriving,” Bianco said. “I mean, they still may be blue, but [Lombardo] has turned the entire momentum of the state around in a positive manner and from my perspective, it was turning into a mini California.”
Despite pushing back on claims that he is a MAGA extremist, Bianco said he welcomes President Donald Trump’s endorsement, but with one condition.
“If I could convince him of something, it would be, sir, I would absolutely love your endorsement, but can we keep it quiet? Because to a Democrat, Trump is the devil,” Bianco said. “I mean, I hate to say this, but Trump derangement syndrome is real. There is a hatred for the man, not his policies. I mean, if we just want to sit and talk policies, his policies are making America great again. They are working and we just have to sit through some of them. Nothing is outlandish, nothing has hurt us. He has great policies, but they don’t like him as a person.”
When asked about his top priority if elected, Bianco said the overarching theme of his campaign focusses on lowering the cost of living. Bianco said he would ax regulations on businesses and do away with the state income tax. He said he would also abolish the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Commission.
“There is absolutely no way that our state should cost $335 billion to run,” Bianco said. “It’s probably more like in the $250, $260 range. We already know that billions come up missing every year and we also know that we’re not getting anything for our money. Our priorities are completely backwards.”
The sheriff also criticized Governor Gavin Newsom over a lack of funding for Proposition 36, the tough-on-crime ballot measure overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2024. Newsom has said the counties who approved the measure should be responsible for funding it, arguing it did not have a funding mechanism in place when passed.
“It just blows me away because we voted for it,” Bianco said. “We said we are sick of being unsafe. We are sick of criminals being treated like royalty and victims being discarded. We want something different and [Newsom] said screw all of you, we’re going to do what we want.”
On the topic of immigration, Bianco said he would reverse California’s sanctuary state status but also said he supports a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented immigrants who are employed and pay taxes.
“I have friends that it took them 15, 18, 20 years to get their citizenship. That is a complete failure of our federal government,” Bianco said. “And here’s the whole thing. And this is what I’m going to point out to everyone. It’s all about truth with me. It is 100% the lawmakers on both sides in Washington that have purposely not fixed the immigration system so they could use it in their elections every four years.”
Inside California Politics airs statewide on Nexstar television stations at the following times:
KTLA: Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5:30 a.m.
KRON: Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
KSEE: Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5 at 8:30 a.m.
KSWB: Sunday, Oct. 5 at 5:30 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.
KGET: Sunday, Oct. 5 at 8:30 a.m.
KTXL: Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11:00 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 a.m.