Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco reaffirmed his stance on not enforcing stringent stay-at-home orders, telling the Riverside County Board of Supervisors this week that he refuses to “make criminals out of business owners, single moms, and otherwise healthy individuals for exercising their constitutional rights.”
Eight weeks ago, officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) “participated in something never done before in our nation’s history,” Bianco began.
Government “ordered residents into their homes, closed their businesses, made them wear masks, forbid them from going to church, and eliminated constitutional freedoms put in place over 200 years ago,” he explained.
“In the name of a public health crisis, our civil liberties and constitutional protections were placed on hold,” he continued.
Officials, Bianco said, have asked a lot of residents over the last two months as part of a greater effort to flatten the curve and prevent hospitals from being completely overwhelmed by coronavirus patients.
Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks
“It worked,” he said, listing a series of statistics:
What isn’t being emphasized is that 2,000 of the 4,300 people who have tested positive have already recovered and returned to work. What that means is that out of two and a half million people in Riverside County, we have only 2,300 residents positive with this virus. Statistically, that is less than a tenth of one percent.
Forthcoming decisions from officials should be based on “facts and data, not protections and fear,” he continued, stressing that residents do not need to live in fear and noting that the risk remains low for people without serious medical conditions. However, he urged at-risk residents to remain at home.
Bianco said he did not enforce the stay-at-home order from the beginning, partly because he “trusted our residents’ ability to do the right thing without fear of being arrested” and emphasized that he continues to hold that position:
I knew they could be trusted to act as responsible adults, and I was correct. As we continue, I will reinforce my position. Not only do we not have the resources to enforce unreasonable orders, I refuse to make criminals out of business owners, single moms, and otherwise healthy individuals for exercising their constitutional rights. I believe Riverside County residents are responsible enough to proceed cautiously.
Alito rips Jackson’s ‘utterly irresponsible’ solo dissent as Supreme Court fight shakes up 2026 map
California gubernatorial hopefuls contend with back-to-back debates with finish line in sight
Climate seminars for judges face funding trail probe amid fears of outside influence on courts
Caine likens ‘kamikaze dolphin’ question to ‘sharks with laser beams’ in nod to Austin Powers movies
Florida shooting spree kills 4-month-old baby, toddler, their mother and grandmother across two scenes
Nancy Mace Names 6 Lawmakers in Bombshell Comments on Congressional Sex Scandal ‘Slush Fund’
Under-the-radar race will decide Michigan Senate control in Whitmer’s final year
Dem Chicago Alderman Wants Walgreens Charged with Crime After Store Closes Amid Rampant Theft, Violence
Oklahoma park shooting that injured nearly two dozen started over argument at unsanctioned party, police say
Trump turns Obama-era youth health policy on its head as school fitness benchmark returns
Massie ally sparks backlash after accusing Trump-backed challenger of abusing VA benefits
GOP builds huge cash edge as 2026 midterm outlook darkens
At least five killed and dozens injured in Ukraine in ‘vile’ Russian strike amid ceasefire talk
Border Patrol arrests two illegal aliens convicted of child sex offenses near San Diego in back-to-back busts
Trump opens Hormuz under fire with ‘Project Freedom’ as Iran warns of attacks
The original projections and fears that caused orders to be put into place in the first place, he added, have been “proven wrong.”
“There cannot be a new normal,” he warned, citing the country’s “fundamental freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Any new normal is a direct attack on the basic rights, which set us apart and make us the greatest country in the world,” he added.
On Tuesday, Gov. Newsom warned that, despite the state gradually entering into the next phase of economic recovery, California will not return to normal until a vaccine is developed and available.
“We’re not going back to normal. It’s a new normal with adaptations and modifications, until we get to immunity and a vaccine,” he said during Tuesday’s press briefing — something some experts caution may never come to fruition.
Story cited here.
