Sheriff's Tie To Oath Keepers Condemned By County Supervisor

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — News that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was a paying member of a far-right militia group in 2014 is not sitting well with the county supervisor whose district stretches across the very diverse Coachella Valley.

Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez issued a written statement Wednesday following nationwide media coverage of Bianco's acknowledgment that he was a member of the anti-government Oath Keepers.

“Like many of you, I am shocked and deeply troubled to hear that Sheriff Bianco was a member of the Oathkeepers Group," Perez wrote. “After further research, I learned that the organization is a far right, anti-government militia based on extremist racist views.

“I do not support the Oathkeepers. Furthermore, I do not support their belief that, as armed individuals, only they can defend and uphold the Constitution. I, as a policymaker who took the oath of office, also strive to uphold the Constitution," Perez, a Democrat, continued. “Furthermore, we as American citizens, should all strive to uphold the Constitution."

Perez wrote that Bianco's Oath Keepers tie "brings a deeper and further mistrust among our communities of government and public safety. Our communities want government and law enforcement to protect our residents, and to govern and police our communities without extremist views."

Bianco's name first emerged in connection with the Oath Keepers through a data hack of the organization's website, first reported by USA Today. Hackers then made public the names and addresses of purported members of the organization, including what the news outlet reported as more than 200 active or retired law enforcement officials.

Contacted Tuesday by the Southern California News Group, Bianco explained his Oath Keepers membership.

"I found an email from 2014 where I joined for a year. I don't even remember it. It was an email saying, 'Thank you for joining.' I paid for a year's membership. I'm not ashamed of what I did in 2014," the sheriff told SCNG.

Nearly two dozen Oath Keepers associates have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack. The sheriff denied having any involvement with the breach, telling SCNG, "I have been vocally against what happened there. What they did — the few that went into the building — was completely wrong and against the law and they should be held accountable for it."

What may be most surprising is that the sheriff, who was elected by Riverside County residents to one of the most important county offices, would ever align with an outfit like the Oath Keepers. The group is headed by Stewart Rhodes, and depending on your viewpoint he's a respectable paramilitary leader or an egotistical con man who more recently orchestrated indoctrinated cult followers in the violent Jan. 6 attack.

At the time of his Oath Keepers membership, Bianco was serving as a lieutenant in the sheriff's department and, according to SCNG, was affiliated with the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, another right-leaning political organization.

Bianco dismissed the description of the Oath Keepers as an anti-government militia, and pointed to what he called far-left militant groups like antifa and Black Lives Matter, which he said have committed acts of violence and vandalism without any backlash from the media or FBI.

"Why was this not done with antifa and Black Lives Matter?" Bianco said. "I lost faith in the FBI a long time ago. The line workers are first rate. Their administration has no business carrying a badge. They strayed from nonbiased law enforcement a long time ago."

During the June 2020 largely peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Riverside, thousands walked the city's streets and Bianco was there to ensure calm. He even took a knee in apparent solidarity.

"We want you all to be here," he told those who turned out. "We want you all to have this. We want your voices to be heard. We want to be heard together."

But the sheriff warned protesters that any vandalism or violence would be met with arrest. By many accounts, his firm yet unifying messaging helped diffuse mob mentality and prevent riots.

Riverside County's diversity can make a hardline stance difficult to square.

"We live in a county that is made up of demographics that include a white population that consists of 41.2 percent and a Latino population of 49.7 percent. Riverside County is 6 percent Black, 7 percent Asian, and significantly more multiracial than ever before," Perez wrote. “We are also a county that is 40 percent Democratic, 32 percent Republican, and 21 percent No Party Preference. That is what makes our county special. That we are diverse," he said.

Bianco has been Riverside County sheriff since 2018; his term expires next year. He's also made national headlines for his adamant stances against COVID-19 mandates throughout the pandemic. The sheriff refused to assign any deputies to enforce the state's mandates last year, and he rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders, calling the shutdowns a violation of "constitutional rights."

Last month, he issued a lengthy statement saying he would not enforce a vaccine mandate for sheriff's deputies.

"The government has no ability and no authority to mandate your health choices," he said. "As your sheriff, I have an obligation to guard your liberty and freedom."

Bianco, who along with his family recovered from coronavirus infections last winter, emphasized that "I am certainly not anti-vaccine; I am anti-vaccine for me."

"That decision should be made in consultation with your doctor after discussing the potential benefit and the potential negative side effects," the sheriff said. "It is time our government and our politicians come to the realization that the only reason they exist is because `we the people' formed our government to secure the blessings of individual liberty and freedom."

When Bianco got in front of news cameras on April 3, 2020, to announce the death of a second deputy due to the coronavirus, his tone was in stark contrast to today.

During that spring news conference, the sheriff stressed the need for residents to abide by the state's stay-home order and social distancing protocols. Most of the department personnel who had contracted COVID-19 got it from people who showed no signs of illness, the sheriff warned. The public should be taking the county health department's warnings about the surge of cases expected in coming weeks very seriously, Bianco urged.

"I think we're in for a huge awakening," he said.

Perez highlighted Riverside County's diversity.

“We are a very diverse county that appreciates equality, equity and tolerance. We live in a county that is made up of demographics that include a white population that consists of 41.2 percent and a Latino population of 49.7 percent. Riverside County is 6 percent Black, 7 percent Asian, and significantly more multiracial than ever before.

“We are also a county that is 40 percent Democratic, 32 percent Republican, and 21 percent No Party Preference. That is what makes our county special. That we are diverse.

“The views of the Oathkeepers do not represent who we are as a county or as a Fourth District and I hope that Sheriff Bianco understands my position.”