‘No Kings’ Fury Hits Ontario as Labor Protesters and Sheriff Bianco Trade Blame at Patriot Summit

As roughly 8 million marched for the ‘No Kings’ protests on Saturday, March 28, a coalition of hotel workers, immigrant rights advocates and UNITE HERELocal 11 representatives rallied outside the Double Tree by Hilton in Ontario demanding living wages and health insurance while the Inland Empire Patriot’s Summit convened, reflecting the heart of the day’s unrest: a fundamental disagreement over power, patriotism and accountability. 

The Inland Empire is the nation’s logistics hub. Home to over 1 billion square feet of warehouses, the rapid expansion of development, however regionally and economically advantageous, has raised concerns of environmental justice, community health and income disparity. Protestors say large warehouse and hotel developers have exacted an overgrown influence in the region, citing Ontario as a local example of the polarized American landscape and money’s corrosive political effects. The convergence of the local labor struggle and the nationwide demonstrations against executive overreach foreground a deepening rift in the area and the country writ large. 

Inside the DoubleTree, the annual Patriot’s Summit, a staple for the Inland Empire’s conservative base and right-wing leadership, featured high-profile figures like Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. A contender for California Governor, Bianco recently made headlines for his controversial seizure of over 650,000 ballots from the 2025 Proposition 50 special election, a move he denies harbors any “wrongdoing” but which state officials decry as an abuse of power. 

Speaking to the large crowd, Bianco elaborated his past successes and championed Inland Empire conservatives, marshalling the room’s enthusiasm for the Trump administration’s policies to pronounce a red sweep in the Golden State. 

“I want to tell you the entire state of California knows we’re going to make a difference,” Bianco said. “Democrats destroyed California, and Republicans are going to have to fix it.”

Following his speech, Inland Empire Community News (IECN) spoke with Bianco who, when asked to comment on protestors, claimed they were “paid” and “brainwashed.”

“They’re basically supporting socialism, and they have been brainwashed and convinced that it’s a good idea to come out and fight against the person that is America First, because socialism doesn’t like America First,” he said. “‘Why are they out there?’ Because some of them got paid to be there, and they brought their friends with them.”

Bianco later insisted that the “entire country knows” the demonstrations are paid for. He ended the four-minute interview after a follow-up question about the financial scope of those alleged payments. 

While political figures, including Trump and his allies, have dismissed the legitimacy of the ‘No Kings’ movement, claiming protestors are merely paid political agitators, there is no evidence of organized, widespread funding of protestors on the left, according to analysts. 

To Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ICIJ), patriots “dissent” against “starting illegal wars overseas” and “putting illegal tariffs on Americans.”

“Our gas prices are soaring, the cost of living is soaring and millions of Americans are without health care,” Hernandez said. “And so when we talk about being a patriot, we have to talk about it not just about wearing an American flag . . . but also speaking out for our neighbors, speaking out for our communities, speaking out for our needs and also speaking out when there’s a president that is not following the Constitution.”

For Noel Rodriguez of UNITE HERE Local 11, the local labor struggle and the broader anti-athoritarian resistance centers on corruption, because ‘No Kings’ isn’t a slogan about a president. Rather, it’s about a system where powerful people operate above the needs of the community, eroding the checks and balances that protect the working class and the American public.

“We’re fighting back by fighting for fair wages and health insurance and good jobs, stable jobs, so we can pay the rent and raise our families, and we’re fighting back by holding city government and billionaire developers accountable,” Rodriguez said. “We’re not going to let them take our money and use it to build themselves hotels and warehouses at our expense so that they can make more billions, and we can continue to live in poverty. That’s done. We’re done. And I think in Ontario, we’re done, and nationwide, we’re done.”