Riverside County Elections: Supervisor Incumbents See Path To Victory

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel and Supervisor Manuel Perez were on paths to victory in Tuesday's primary election, maintaining sizable leads that increased Wednesday after the latest election returns were posted.

Spiegel, who was first elected in 2018 and again in 2022, was leading her opponent in the Second District, self-described human rights advocate Sukhbir Singh Gill, by a margin of 77% to 23% Wednesday morning.

On the other end of the county, in the Fourth District race, Perez locked in a lead of 60% to 40% against La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez. Perez's momentum held through the night, with Sanchez making little headway.

Also, in the 5th Supervisorial race, incumbent Yxstian Gutierrez held a 98.6% lead over his fellow hopeful, Eric Stalter, with only 1.3% of the vote.

None of the candidates had released campaign statements on Wednesday morning. According to the county Registrar of Voters, roughly 323,000 vote-by- mail and conditional use ballots had yet to be tabulated. That process was expected to continue until June 9.

Spiegel, who served on the Corona City Council prior to her election to the Board of Supervisors, has touted her "roll-up-your-sleeves" work ethic in campaign literature.

Spiegel has been an unerring law enforcement supporter and stood alone in opposing a 2020 board resolution that called out Minneapolis police officers connected to the in-custody death of George Floyd. Another supervisor abstained during the 3-1 vote in favor of the proclamation, which Spiegel argued was over-broad and unfairly mischaracterized peace officers as a whole.

One of the central themes of Gill's campaign against the incumbent was sheriff's operations and the repeated instances in which deputies have been arrested or convicted stemming from actions in the jails, on duty during patrol, or off duty and interacting with the public.

"Only one in five supervisors has even considered establishing an ad- hoc committee for civilian oversight of the sheriff," the candidate said during a recent supervisors' meeting. "Since (Sheriff) Chad Bianco has been in office, crimes in the county have risen by 18%. Not to mention that Karen's husband joined Bianco's campaign (for governor)."

Spiegel has consistently received endorsements from the Riverside Sheriffs' Association.

She's backed strategies for reducing homelessness, regularly advocated for expansion of veterans' services and has been engaged in efforts to improve confidence in the Office of the Registrar of Voters, serving on a committee with former Supervisor Kevin Jeffries for that purpose.

In the Fourth District race, Sanchez spotlighted "improving the quality of life" for Coachella Valley residents as one of his central themes.

The candidate and incumbent's opposing positions were distinctly apparent at the start of 2025, when then-Chairman Perez submitted a resolution that was ultimately approved, declaring the county "a vibrant, compassionate and welcoming place for all law-abiding immigrants and refugees and commits (the county) to safeguarding the civil rights of all our residents to the fullest extent provided by the law."

The measure was viewed as a direct response to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement deportation sweeps then beginning. Sanchez said the chairman was veering off track and had no business inserting the county into a federal matter. Perez argued he owed it to non-citizens and their families fearing removal to speak up for them.

Perez received praise from the "ranchero" community in 2023 after he insisted the Transportation & Land Management Agency reevaluate enforcement of the countywide noise control ordinance in relation to the operation of rancheros in the eastern Coachella Valley.

The businesses, which must meet established criteria, are now permitted to host wedding receptions and other traditional ceremonies until specified hours of the night without fear of legal repercussions from the county.

The supervisor has had mixed success with his position on short-term rentals, or STRs. The county's STR regulations have been widely viewed as ineffective, with some unincorporated communities in the Coachella Valley drawing large crowds at homes rented out a few days at a time.

Perez recently stated that STRs "are going to happen" regardless of complaints, but unlike Supervisor Chuck Washington, the candidate has offered little in the way of firm recommendations for rectifying problems.

Perez was not directly implicated in the recent conviction of his longtime friend and chief of staff, ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, for perjury and felony conflict of interest by a public official. However, it was unclear why the supervisor didn't immediately dismiss Hernandez when the charges were filed last year.

Sanchez pointed to his service in the Marine Corps as an asset, saying it aided in defining his leadership skills, while his civic contributions -- from serving on the Southern California Association of Governments' Regional Council to membership on the Coachella Valley Association of Governments -- have reinforced his understanding to "listen first, serve selflessly and put people before politics."

Perez, who was a three-term state assemblyman before joining the Board of Supervisors in 2017, highlighted his work to keep Lake Cahuilla open, reinvigorate the National Date Festival and reorganize the Department of Animal Services to change the agency's course from being a high-kill to a "no-kill" operation affecting impounded pets as significant accomplishments.

"I'm running for re-election because I want to continue the fight to improve the lives of Riverside County residents," he said. "Although the challenges we face are real, I am proud of the work we are doing every day."

In the Fifth District, Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez easily won a second term in the primary, with no listed opponent, though there were nearly 500 votes cast for write-in candidates.