Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco sharply criticized Kamala Harris’ comments following the Los Angeles unrest, accusing her and other Democratic leaders of downplaying the severity of the violence. Bianco, who has announced his intention to run for California governor in 2026, said Harris’ response “fails to address the real issue — the breakdown of law and order.”
In a public statement, Bianco rejected claims that the protests were mostly peaceful, sharing footage of burning vehicles and crowds taking over city streets. “This isn’t peaceful. This is lawlessness,” he said. “Our state deserves better leadership.”
Bianco emphasized that maintaining public safety must take precedence over politics. “An adherence to law is essential if we are to remain a civilized society,” he said. “Peaceful protests are protected, but criminal acts — including violence or obstruction of law enforcement — will not be tolerated.”
President Trump also weighed in, condemning the attacks on federal officers and criticizing California leaders for what he called a failure to protect citizens and property. In a post on his social platform, he referred to the rioters as “paid agitators” and demanded that Newsom and Bass “apologize to the people of Los Angeles.”
As cleanup and recovery efforts began across affected areas, tensions remained high between federal and state officials. The debate over how to balance immigration enforcement with civil liberties once again moved to the forefront — highlighting the deep political divisions shaping California’s response to unrest and national security challenges.
