RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Riverside County Democratic Party issued a press release this week, responding to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors’ Tuesday decision not to move forward with the creation of a civilian committee to ensure law enforcement accountability.
According to the party, Supervisor José Medina introduced the motion to establish the Ad Hoc Committee on civilian oversight of the county sheriff’s department. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1185 into law, authorizing counties to create police oversight boards, the party noted.
According to an NBC report on Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Medina cited data showing that Riverside and San Bernardino counties were responsible for almost 20 percent of the state’s in-custody deaths between 2011 and 2022.
Although Medina’s motion had a significant amount of public support, the party emphasized that his proposal was not backed by any other supervisor.
The party said that residents came from across Riverside County to support Medina’s proposal and to share their personal stories with the board, asking for accountability. However, the party wrote, “the majority of the Board met them with indifference.”
“As residents poured their hearts out calling for change, deputies lined the back of the chamber, and the Board met their courage with silence,” party Chair Joy Silver said. She continued, “Silence speaks volumes. It tells the public that politics and power matter more than lives.”
During the Board meeting Tuesday, more than 70 residents addressed the supervisors, with most of their comments supporting civilian oversight, the party reported. Public comments were soon limited to one minute per speaker, despite Sheriff Chad Bianco having nearly 15 minutes to speak uninterrupted, which he used “to attack concerned residents and deflect accountability,” the party stated.
According to NBC, Bianco downplayed residents’ push for greater transparency as “a lie perpetuated by disingenuous politicians, activists, and complicit media,” and argued that because he was elected by voters, his office does not require oversight.
“This wasn’t a debate about politics,” Silver said, according to the party. “It was about public safety and good governance. Yet even when faced with rising jail deaths, misconduct, and national scrutiny, most of our supervisors chose to do nothing.”
In its press release, the party named the specific supervisors who had opposed Medina’s motion.
“We are especially disappointed in Supervisors Perez, Spiegel, Washington, and Gutierrez. Their refusal to even second the motion—combined with Supervisor Gutierrez’s decision to leave the meeting before the item was heard—demonstrates a failure of leadership,” the release said. “At a time when Riverside County needed courage, they chose complacency.”
The party maintains support of Medina, commending his motion as a “necessary step toward restoring public trust,” and as an action of solidarity with Riverside County residents.
While the party criticized the failure of the county’s Board of Supervisors, its press release emphasized the importance of learning from other California counties that have established civilian oversight committees, underscoring that “the time to act is now.”
Concluding its statement, the party vowed to remain committed to the causes of transparency and accountability.
