Riverside Residents Demand Civilian Oversight as Sheriff’s Department Faces Record Deaths, $77M in Settlements

The Riverside Sheriff’s Accountability Coalition (RSAC) issued a public statement following the Riverside County Board of Supervisors’ failure to move forward with a motion to explore the creation of a civilian oversight commission. RSAC emphasized that while the Board refused to act, the community’s demand for transparency, justice, and accountability is now backed by more than 10,000 county residents and continues to grow stronger. 

At Tuesday’s Board meeting, Supervisor Jose Medina introduced a motion to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to begin exploring the structure and funding of a Civilian Oversight Commission and an Office of Inspector General. Despite overwhelming public support—evidenced by an overflowing chamber and more than 80 speakers—the motion died for lack of a second.

“This was not a failure—it was an exposure,” said RSAC spokesperson Anthony Noriega. “Supervisor Medina had the courage to do what is right. The others supervisors revealed exactly where they stand: with political power and not with the people.”

Let the public record reflect:
When it came time to vote, Supervisor Jose Medina voted YES. Supervisors Washington, Perez, and Spiegel each did not act to second Supervisor Medina’s motion, effectively killing the proposal. Their inaction spoke volumes—they chose silence over accountability, political convenience over public trust, and in doing so, blocked the community’s demand for oversight from even reaching a formal discussion.

Supervisor Gutierrez took an even more troubling step by leaving the chamber entirely before the agenda item was heard. In doing so, he evaded responsibility, denied his constituents a voice, and deliberately avoided taking a public stance on one of the most critical issues facing Riverside County.

RSAC also expressed serious concern over procedural manipulations that suppressed public input. Supervisor Perez, who chaired the session, moved the agenda item from the middle of the agenda to the end, pushing the discussion late into the afternoon. He also moved Public comment time from three minutes to one minute, severely limiting community voices, while Sheriff Bianco was given over fifteen minutes to speak unchallenged.

“What we saw was not leadership—it was suppression and evasion,” said RSAC Chair, Luis Nolasco. As was mentioned in Tuesday’s remarks, it took 20 years for the Board to fund a bridge on Indian Canyon to prevent road closures. For Perez, Spiegel, Washington, and Gutierrez, oversight isn’t a priority—because the people dying aren’t their donors or their donors’ families. “And the people noticed. 

If Supervisors Perez et al. actually had confidence in the Sheriff’s Department beyond the campaign donations of the Riverside Sheriff’s Association, they’d use the power already in the law. AB 1185 changed the code. They’ve got the authority—but not the ganas. “This is not a failure—this is the beginning! The beginning of a movement that will not be silenced, will not be stalled, and will not back down until justice is served and oversight is won!”, RSAC defiantly called out.

RSAC compared Riverside County’s resistance to oversight to early struggles faced in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange counties—jurisdictions that eventually succeeded in establishing independent civilian oversight mechanisms.

“This is part of the journey,” the coalition said. “Just like other counties that faced obstruction and denial, Riverside will also break through. Because the community will not relent.”

RSAC reaffirmed its commitment to fight for the creation of a permanent, independent Civilian Oversight Commission with full investigative powers and subpoena authority, while expressing appreciation for all of its allies, including the Riverside County Branch of the NAACP, the Riverside Chapter of All of Us or None, the League of Women Voters, and other community and civic-minded groups for speaking out, showing up,, submitting letters, and standing for justice, transparency, accountably and good governance. 

“Our message to the Board is simple: We are not going away. We are just getting started.”

This article was written by Nathan P. Kempe, Starting Over Strong operations director