By Dianne Anderson

Families of people who died in Riverside County jails are pushing for independent oversight of the Sheriff’s Department, while pointing to over $100 million in taxpayer-funded settlements and a disturbing surge of in-custody deaths.

One answer activists with the Riverside Sheriff’s Accountability Coalition (RSAC) are pushing, is the plan to skip the Board of Supervisors entirely, and go straight for a ballot initiative and the community to force real change.

“This is a campaign of the people, by the people, and for the people, and we’re leaving no community behind in our push for 35,000 signatures,” said Fidel Chagolla on behalf of Riverside All of Us or None and Starting Over Strong.

Set for November 2026, the proposed measure would create a Sheriff Oversight Commission and Inspector General that would put the power directly in the community’s hands. It would block current or recent law enforcement from joining in the process, and give investigators full subpoena authority to investigate misconduct without interference.

The coalition is working to finalize the ballot language. Under state law, the measure must go through legal review and be approved by the Registrar of Voters before signature collection can begin. Once that process is complete, organizers say they’ll roll out the petition at churches, community centers, college campuses, and local events and gather the required signatures by April 3, 2026.

The main focus for RSAC is getting a ballot initiative to create an Independent Oversight Committee and an Inspector General with full subpoena powers and any additional authority allowed under state law AB 1185.

At the same time, Chagolla expects opposition from the Sheriff’s Association and possibly the Board, but he said the coalition is based on facts and has garnered strong public support.

“We are also centering the voices of those most harmed by the status quo. We believe the people’s demand for justice will prevail,”he said.

Targeting in-custody death policies, use-of-force rules, and complaint investigations, are the top priority, and also taking a hard look at jail training, mental health care, and how disciplinary actions are handled.

Before the law changed, he said any true independent oversight of a sheriff’s office was difficult.

Advocates, including Chagolla, tried to convince the County Board of Supervisors to implement AB 1185 locally, but he said that effort failed. Now, with signatures to place the measure on the 2026 ballot, voters can decide whether Riverside should have an independent oversight body.

So far, he said families have been essential and central to the campaign.

“They speak publicly, help shape our messaging, and keep the urgency of this work real. Their stories drive the campaign and ensure the community understands why accountability cannot wait,” Chagolla said.

While the Sheriff’s Department denies deaths are rising, advocates insist the problem is critical. Many are pressing the Riverside County Board of Supervisors for reforms, including separating the Coroner’s Office from the Sheriff’s Department and forming a community oversight body with an Inspector General.

Key members of the Sheriff Accountability Coalition include ACLU of Southern California, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Starting Over, Starting Over Strong, and League of Women Voters (LWV) Riverside.

LULAC is also calling on the Board of Supervisors to provide much-needed accountability for the Riverside Sheriff’s Office.

“The ongoing issues surrounding sheriff-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and the significant financial liability resulting from the lack of oversight have eroded public trust and demand urgent reforms,” LULAC states on their website. “We believe independent oversight of law enforcement is good for both deputies and the community they serve, as well as important for good government practices.”

If the ballot measure passes, both the oversight board and the OIG would have subpoena power to access personnel records and all aspects of Sheriff’s Office operations, ensuring investigations are thorough, impartial, and transparent.

All groups in the coalition are focused on policies around in-custody deaths, use-of-force, and complaint handling.

One report by the ACLU, Reimagining Community Safety, shows a significant financial burden of sheriff’s departments’ misconduct on California counties, mostly through legal settlements and judgments, but they say full costs are usually obscured by non-disclosure agreements.

Available data shows that Los Angeles County paid nearly $52 million in 2019 for settlements and judgments related to deputy misconduct, plus $9.6 million in defense costs. Riverside County spent $77 million on police misconduct cases between 2010 and 2020.

In another recent study, the Care First California report A Decade of In-Custody Deaths, at least 2,312 people died in custody in California between 2011 and 2022, with 251 deaths in 2022.

In Riverside County, 93% of in-custody deaths happened while cases were still unresolved, with 40% happening in the first week behind bars. Advocates emphasize that these deaths are often poorly tracked or misclassified, including gaps in data on race, ethnicity, and gender identity.

The Care First California Coalition is a network of community groups, people who have been directly impacted, civil rights advocates, and public defenders. They also work with partners including long-standing civil liberties organizations, including Californians United for a Responsible Budget, Human Rights Watch, Civil Rights Corps, and the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego, to name a few.

Backed by AB 1185, the coalition is moving under the 2021 statewide law that is designed to make civilian oversight possible and to assist in the board’s supervisorial duties over the sheriff.

In 2021, the ACLU of Northern California said they sent identical Public Records Act requests to all 58 California counties requesting information on how they provide legal counsel to indigent defendants.

They said Riverside was the only county that failed to comply with the request.

“Riverside County stands alone in shutting out the public from viewing how it performs its duties,” said Eva Bitran, senior staff attorney at ACLU SoCal. “Riverside’s refusal to comply with its legal obligations harms the public and violates the California Constitution.”

On the League of Women Voters, Riverside County website, they say that independent oversight of law enforcement is good for both deputies and the community they serve, as well as important for good government practices.

“The ongoing issues surrounding sheriff-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, and the significant financial liability resulting from the lack of oversight have eroded public trust and demand urgent reforms,” LWV states on their website.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco criticized the proposed measure, calling it more about political control than accountability and describing the settlements as “a business decision and out of the hands of the Office of the Sheriff.”

He said he personally opposes settlements and disputed claims that in-custody deaths are increasing. Regarding communication with families after a death in custody, Bianco said it often occurs through attorneys.

“Families are left in the dark because they obtain attorneys. Out of practice, and policy, communication is then through attorneys,” he said in an email, adding that all incidents are fully investigated, and deputies are held accountable should they be found out of compliance with policy.

“It should be noted that never has an employee been alleged to have contributed to the harm or death of an inmate,” he said.

Bianco also rejected claims that oversight in other counties reduces harm, calling it politically divisive, but confirmed that, “We will abide by the law,” if the measure passes.

For more information on the advocates and studies, see:

• ACLU Riverside report: https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/rcsd_ripa_final.pdf
• Re-Envisioning Public Safety in Riverside County | ACLU SoCal: https://www.aclusocal.org/en/campaigns/re-envisioning-public-safety-riverside-county
• LWV Riverside Sheriff Accountability Coalition: https://my.lwv.org/california/city-riverside-sw-riverside-county/sheriff-accountability-coalition
• LULAC:https://lulacofriverside.org/community
• Care First California: https://carefirstca.org/riversideliveslost/