Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has issued a stark warning that over 600 deputies may face termination as a significant budget dispute with county officials intensifies. The sheriff attributes the potential job losses to a funding shortfall of $125 million, which he claims equates to 622 deputy sheriff positions.
Bianco criticized the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for rejecting his request for an additional $150 million for the Sheriff’s Department. While the Board increased the department's budget by approximately $25 million, Bianco asserts this increment is insufficient to address the department's needs.
"They know that I am extremely short-staffed. They know for a fact that I am shorted $125 million, and that equates to 622 deputy sheriff positions. And it’s just simple math," Bianco stated in comments to ABC 7. He accused county officials of being "extremely dishonest" and of fully understanding the repercussions of their budgetary decisions.
The sheriff outlined plans to eliminate around 200 positions through attrition, retirements, and transfers to manage the financial gap. However, he also expressed his intention to continue paying the remaining deputies, even if it means exceeding the department's approved budget.
Riverside County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen defended the supervisors' decision, explaining that the requested funding significantly surpassed the available discretionary revenue. He noted the county's responsibility to "balance competing priorities within finite resources while preserving the County’s long term financial health."
This is not the first time Bianco has raised concerns. In June, he alerted the county board to the potential major consequences for unincorporated communities if his budget request was not met. The Sheriff’s Department was allocated $1.27 billion in the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget, an increase from $1.16 billion in the prior year. Mentioned in a previous report, Bianco is also a gubernatorial candidate for 2026.