Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is warning that greater than 600 deputies might should be fired as a bitter budget battle with county officers escalates.
Bianco blasted the Riverside County Board of Supervisors after they rejected his request for a further $150 million in funding for the Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff warned the funding shortfall might pressure huge cuts to the division, probably placing lots of of deputies out of labor.
“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,” the sheriff stated.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is warning that greater than 600 deputies might should be fired. USA TODAY Network through Reuters
“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 told ABC 7.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors elevated the Sheriff’s Department budget by roughly $25 million, however Bianco says the enhance falls far in need of what he wants.
The sheriff accused county officers of “being extremely dishonest” and stated they “know exactly what the consequences of this budget was.”
Bianco plans to eradicate roughly 200 positions by way of attrition, retirements and transfers as he grapples with the funding hole.
But he additionally says he intends to maintain paying the remaining deputies — even when which means pushing the division over its accepted budget.
The sheriff accused county officers of “being extremely dishonest” and stated they “know exactly what the consequences of this budget was.” REUTERS
Bianco plans to eradicate roughly 200 positions by way of attrition, retirements and transfers as he grapples with the funding hole. REUTERS
But Bianco additionally says he intends to maintain paying the remaining deputies — even when which means pushing the division over its accepted budget. Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK through Imagn Images
Riverside County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen defended the board’s resolution, saying “the cumulative cost of those requests significantly exceeded the discretionary revenue available to support them.”
The county needed to “balance competing priorities within finite resources while preserving the County’s long term financial health,” Van Wagenen stated.
Bianco had already sounded the alarm in June, warning the county board that failing to meet his budget request would have major consequences for unincorporated communities.
The Sheriff’s Department was allotted $1.27 billion within the county’s fiscal 2026 budget, up from $1.16 billion the earlier 12 months.
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