Newsom signs new law separating Riverside County Sheriff's Office and Coroner
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law separating the Riverside County Sheriff's and Coroner's offices to eliminate potential conflicts of interest regarding in-custody death investigations.
"Transparency and accountability will be met," said State Senator Sabrina Cervantes, who represents Riverside and introduced the bill.
Cervantes drafted the bill due to concern over investigations into in-custody deaths in Riverside County. In 2024, a CalMatters investigation into county jails concluded that "some of California's deadliest jails are in Riverside County," which was echoed by a 2025 report by the New York Times that found the number of deaths from 2020 to 2023 made the county's system "the second deadliest in the nation during that period."
The law also requires the medical examiner to publish "specified information regarding in-custody persons" online.
That information includes details like incident reports on in-custody deaths, a centralized public database that has information on deaths at each facility, demographic data of the deceased and notes on serious in-custody incidents like deaths by suicide, overdoses or medical distress.
"The taxpayers can now have a system that they can trust, and the families who have lost individuals that they love in custody, in jail, the Riverside County will now have accountability and answers," Cervantes said.
Sheriff Chad Bianco opposed the bill, calling it unnecessary.
"Another loss for Riverside County," he said. "On a personal level, it means nothing to me. I don't care if you're going to separate it. Separate it. I'm fighting for it because it's a bad idea for Riverside County."
Bianco claimed it would cost taxpayers $5 million to create the new medical examiner's office. The Assembly Appropriations Committee said it's unclear how much the separation will cost, but it will "likely be over $1 million annually." When the bill was introduced, Bianco's office said more than 600 jobs would be lost despite the law requiring employees to be transferred.
"It's not about one person or one sheriff," Cervantes said. "It's about truth, justice and accountability."
Similar to Riverside County's former structure, San Bernardino and Orange counties have a county coroner's office overseen by the sheriff. In Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the sheriff's departments and medical examiners function independently.
"If this is not about an individual sheriff, why is it only Riverside County?" Bianco said.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors will create the new medical examiner's office by July 1, 2027.
Bianco is running for reelection as sheriff in 2028 after a failed run for governor and a California Supreme Court loss over his seizure of ballots.
