Sheriff Chad Bianco on How to Take Back California.

Summary

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The Sage Steele Show – Sheriff Chad Bianco on How to Take Back California

Date: May 20, 2026
Host: Sage Steele
Guest: Sheriff Chad Bianco (Riverside County Sheriff, Republican candidate for Governor)

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Episode Overview

In this deep-dive interview, Sage Steele sits down with Riverside County Sheriff and California gubernatorial hopeful Chad Bianco. The conversation centers on Bianco’s motivations for entering the race for governor, his criticisms of current state leadership, and his actionable vision for restoring “common sense” to California’s governance. Key themes include leadership, crime and public safety, governmental spending, homelessness, regulation, education, and the lessons of the COVID era. Bianco positions himself as a pragmatic outsider with extensive management experience, contrasting his public-safety background with traditional politicians.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shared Backgrounds and Motivation for Leadership

Timestamps: 02:00–07:00

• Childhood & Military Upbringing:

  • Both Sage and Bianco are “military brats.” Bianco credits his Air Force family background with instilling “structure, discipline, and leadership.”
  • Bianco:

    “I got my leadership ability, my integrity, the structure in my life from my dad...that taught me how to be a very productive adult.” (06:00)

• Catalyst for Political Ambition:

  • The upheaval of 2020 (“the Summer of Love”) galvanized both host and guest to speak out.
  • “Courage begets courage,” Sage observes.
  • Bianco acknowledges his law enforcement career and public response during COVID-19 as rehearsals for broader leadership.

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2. What Makes a True Leader?

Timestamps: 07:25–14:55

• Leadership vs. Politics:

  • Bianco argues California suffers from a lack of real leaders, instead run by “career politicians and strategists.”
  • On opponents:

    “Leadership is earned. There is not one person on that stage that has earned the title…especially the Democrats. They’re all just career politicians. …To be a leader of people…you have to lead them, sometimes where they might disagree, but they trust in you.” (10:26)

• Accountability as Leadership:

  • He describes being accountable for split-second, impactful decisions in law enforcement versus the lack of accountability in politics.

    “…my decisions have very serious consequences…I have to suffer the consequences of political decisions they have made…I’m the one dealing with it in real life.” (14:55)

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3. Major Challenges Facing California

Timestamps: 16:24–19:27

• Interconnected Problems:
  • Bianco rejects fixing issues sequentially, advocating for a “multi-pronged approach.”

    “You don’t get to choose between cost of living, safety, and homelessness. It all has to be tackled at the same time.” (17:26)

  • Lists crime, homelessness, high taxes and cost of living, business flight, and regulatory overreach as interdependent crises.

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4. Crime and Criminal Justice Reform

Timestamps: 19:27–24:12

• Prop 47, Prop 57, and AB109:
  • Bianco criticizes legal changes (Prop 47–reducing criminal penalties; Prop 57–parole for non-violent offenders; AB109–prison realignment) as drivers of recidivism and declining public safety.
  • Calls for repeal via ballot measures, explaining only voters can reverse these laws:

    “It was our legislature that made a lot of these laws…but [Prop 47 and 57] were put on the ballot with dishonest messaging…only the voters can fix it.” (20:06)

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5. Breaking the Partisan Cycle

Timestamps: 21:52–24:12

• Encouraging Political Independence:
  • Addresses habitual Democratic voting:

    “They have the power to act on their own values, not what someone else told them to register as…the Democrat party has moved so far left, your values don’t align anymore.” (22:21)

  • Public safety—“even in a big state, 70% voted for stronger accountability and tougher on crime” (23:18).

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6. Tackling Homelessness

Timestamps: 24:12–25:57

• Framing the Issue:

  • Asserts homelessness is driven by “drug and alcohol addiction…mental illness,” not housing scarcity.

    “We stop calling it homeless because it has nothing to do with homes.” (24:15)

• Proposed Solution:

  • Redirect a “fraction” of existing billions from ineffective housing solutions to mental health and substance abuse treatment—“facilities that treat both together, which don’t exist now.” (24:55)
  • “We’ve never had a money problem in California—we have a spending problem.” (24:59)

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7. Spending, Mismanagement, and Regulation

Timestamps: 28:59–35:13

• Waste, Fraud, & Abuse:

  • California’s budget has doubled in 10 years with no added services, argues Bianco.

    “Not one person can tell you they’ve received twice the services…the waste, fraud and abuse is rampant.” (29:33)

• Cost of Living & Regulations:

  • Argues 60–70% of California’s cost-of-living crisis stems from “overregulation.”
  • High gas prices—“by far the highest in the country”—are “government imposed” via taxes and environmental activism.
  • Bianco pledges to suspend regulations (e.g. CEQA, CA Coastal Commission) by executive order:

    “As governor, I can end all those things…How fast? How fast can I sign them?” (31:19)

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8. Parental Rights & Culture Wars

Timestamps: 38:01–44:38

• Parental Control in Schools:

  • On transgender policies and parental notification:

    “Nowhere in the history of the world did a government ever have a child. Parents have children…it is up to parents to raise their kids.” (38:52)
    “There is nothing more sinister than an adult telling a child to keep a secret from their parents.” (38:52)

• Actions as Sheriff:

  • Threatened to arrest school officials who “facilitate a girl being victimized” by gender policies—“They know I will...I won’t even think twice.” (39:58)
  • Pledges as governor: never boys in girls’ locker rooms, no forced vaccinations for school, adults to “take over the conversation again.” (43:52)

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9. Voter ID and Citizenship

Timestamps: 44:38–48:47

• Common Sense Voting:
  • Supports required ID for voting, opposes non-citizen voting; blames activism for making voter ID about racism.
  • Warns about foreign influence:

    “You have millions of people coming in…and those millions can just go in and vote…we’re even printing ballots in their language. …They’re changing the political landscape.” (46:15)

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10. On Trump’s Endorsement and California’s Political Landscape

Timestamps: 49:22–51:29

• Trump’s Endorsement of Rival Steve Hilton:
  • Bianco’s candid response:

    “I said, oh, that sucks, and I rolled over and went back to sleep.” (49:22)

    • He wants “Californians to endorse me. …That’s the endorsement I want.”
  • Suggests Trump’s endorsement may be a liability in California:

    “People aren’t going to vote for a Trump-endorsed candidate or for Fox News…That’s the reality in California.” (50:32)

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11. Reflections on COVID, Courage, and the Future

Timestamps: 51:29–56:57

• The 2020 Experience:

  • Bianco stood against state mandates, refused to enforce lockdowns, and “saved” businesses in Riverside County, attracting residents and fired employees from across the state.

    “That’s what you’re going to get as governor with me…I will make sure we put laws in place so no future governor can do that again.” (54:13)

• A Legacy of Active Citizenship:

  • The pandemic ended voter apathy; “it started with moms… This truly was a mama bear movement…patriotism in America that was revived when our freedoms were taken away.” (55:48)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Running for Governor:

  “Somebody’s got to do it…and looking at the people that were running, it was either going to stay the same or get worse.” (09:05, Bianco)

• On the State Budget:

  “Our state budget, our state spending has doubled…but there is not one person in California that can tell you that they’ve received twice the services from their government.” (29:33, Bianco)

• On Regulation and Oil:

  “A government can’t force a business into bankruptcy. That’s what we’re doing in California. I’m going to remove that.” (31:19, Bianco)

• On Parental Rights:

  “There is nothing more sinister than an adult telling a child…and convincing a child to keep a secret from their parents.” (38:52, Bianco)

• On Trump Endorsement:

  “I want Californians to endorse me…I think it’s working in my favor, honestly.” (49:22, Bianco)

• On COVID’s Silver Lining:

  “It was the end of apathy…We weren’t paying attention to government, and once we figured it out, it was too late. Now we’re standing up, trying to take it back.” (55:48, Bianco)

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Structure & Flow of the Conversation

• Early rapport built on shared backgrounds; sets the tone for a candid, values-focused discussion.
• Discussion transitions from personal leadership philosophy into sharp critiques of California’s political class.
• Explores specific crises (crime, homelessness, spending, regulations, education, voter law) with proposed solutions and real-world experience.
• Interspersed with pointed reflections on COVID-19, personal courage, and restoring agency to families and citizens.
• Bianco maintains a confident, direct, and sometimes blunt style; Sage reinforces with personal anecdotes and passion for common-sense governance.

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Key Timestamps

| Topic | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|-----------------| | Military & Upbringing | 02:00–07:00 | | On Leadership and Political Class | 07:25–14:55 | | Tackling CA's Interconnected Problems | 16:24–19:27 | | Prop 47/57, AB109, Crime Policy | 19:27–24:12 | | Homelessness Solutions | 24:12–25:57 | | Waste, Fraud, Regulations | 28:59–35:13 | | Parental Rights & Education | 38:01–44:38 | | Voter ID & Citizenship | 44:38–48:47 | | Trump Endorsement Reflection | 49:22–51:29 | | COVID Reflections, “End of Apathy” | 51:29–56:57 | | Legacy and Reagan's California | 57:24–59:32 |

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Conclusion: Tone & Takeaways

Sage and Bianco maintain a conversational, candid, and resolutely values-driven tone throughout. The discussion delivers an unvarnished critique of California’s trajectory, a layered argument for leadership rooted in public safety and family values, and an unambiguous promise of dramatic change if voters give Bianco the job of governor. Memorable moments include Bianco’s responses on leadership, parental rights, his reaction to Trump’s endorsement of his rival, and his closing optimism that California “isn’t as broken as everybody thinks,” with a vision to restore the state's greatness.

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Transcript

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[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Hi guys. So after one of my recent episodes

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

with California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a ton of you jumped in my comments asking me to get Sheriff Chad Bianco. I've actually followed Chad for years, mainly since his common sense leadership during COVID as the sheriff of Riverside County, California, which by the way is California's second largest county, second only to Los Angeles. So his job is huge. Chad is craving less activism in our politics and instead calling for a return

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

to common sense and public policy.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

What a concept.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Policies that have failed miserably in the Golden State and many other blue states. With one party rule for so long in California and a budget that's nearly doubled in the last 10 years, Chad Beantho is proud to call himself a leader and not a politician. So how will he tackle California's highest cost of living, highest taxes, choking business regulations, homelessness and public safety? Hear now my conversation with the current sheriff of Riverside County, California and Republican hopeful for governor of the Golden State,

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Chad Bianco, in this episode of the Sage Deal Show. And I'm so thrilled to finally, kind of sorta, I guess E meet Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County, California, who

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

of course is running for governor in the Golden State.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Chad, thank you. See, I shouldn't say Chad. I should say sheriff, right? Sheriff Bianco, thank you for coming on.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

You are welcome and I'll answer to anything. My mother named me Chad. She Left out the Sheriff Hart, so it's okay.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Okay. Well, you know, it might be Governor Bianco coming up here in a few months. I know that it's definitely the plan before we get started, because obviously I'd like to go through a lot of your positions on policies, but I wanted to point out this is kind of cool, because I've followed you for a long time, but I realized there's two things we have in common. Number one, 2020, the Summer of Love in 2020, that. That is where my life changed. And your life changed as well. One of the reasons why I think that we are even speaking today. And number two, we are both military brats. You're an Air Force brat and I'm an army brat. Am I correct?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yes. So I had no idea about that part. I definitely knew about the 2020 part, which is. I mean, I was so. I admired you for what you did and what you stood up for. And I think that someone in your position enabled a whole bunch of other people in the country to do the same thing. So that was a crazy year. And the whole military thing, that's just cool, too.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Well, thank you. But it's because of people like you as well. Courage begets courage, right? And I hate to put myself in that category, but it is amazing what happens when you begin to speak up and say things that you've been afraid to say, and then you help others, maybe find that courage as well. It's really been a blessing, you know, hey, cancellation can really be a blessing. That's the way I look at it now. But I do think that your background as a military brat, an army brat, for me, I mean, I didn't realize it when I was growing up, but I now know that that prepared me for chaos and adversity and being able to push through it. What do you think now, looking back, that you can take from your childhood as a military kid, that you continue to apply now that gets you in the position right now where you even want to run for governor?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah. The only thing that I remember growing up is just my parents. I don't remember anything other than just being with my parents. So the stress and the bad parts that go about it, we only had that for a very short time. So maybe it was just. I don't remember it. Maybe selective not remembering it. But I didn't have a typical. Probably what you had, the typical military brat, where you're constantly moving and all of that pressure of new friends and new places. I didn't have to experience that. So it was. I just experienced the dad in the military and it was a little bit, a little somewhat traumatic, his experiences coming home. So we got to learn with, you know, how to. How to handle that as kids and with my mom. But other than that, it was. It was great. I have nothing bad to say about it now. I have, now I have a son in the army and he's got two kids that are going to grow up in that he's been in for 10 years, 11 years now. So. And he's doing very well.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

You know, let me know if he ever wants a surviving military kid to talk to. And I'm so blessed because I had the absolute best upbringing. But some people hated it. I absolutely loved it. Didn't know any different. But what I do think comes from it, I know that your dad was a Vietnam vet as well. So he experienced things that many people will never fully comprehend, good and bad that can come out of it, certainly. But I think structure, right. That's one of the things. Structure, discipline and leadership. That's what I learned from my dad and that is what I know that you have displayed. And now your second term as sheriff of Riverside County. Right. I mean, I think. Was it 2018 the first time you were elected?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

It was November of 2018. And you're exactly right. I mean, I had law enforcement for almost 25 years at the time. But when you get into law enforcement, it's your upbringing and your past that you bring with you. And you know, a lot of people, I still teach leadership classes and everything. And the. They asked me, you know, where did it come from? Or you try and teach that. And I'm glad that I didn't get. Get it from a book. I got my leadership ability, my integrity, my. The, you know, the structure in my life from my dad. And it was, it was something that I didn't have to learn. I didn't have to, you know, ask anybody. I'm very grateful for, for my dad and for my mom and for how we were raised. That. That taught me how to be a very productive adult.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Yes. And for that entire career in law enforcement.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

It almost seems natural for what you have chosen to do with being a sheriff. And what I learned in preparing for this was Riverside county is the second largest county in California.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Right, Right. I mean, yeah, massive.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

So over 2 million people.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, two and a half million. There's, I think population wise, we are so close. There's three or four that are all the same. Los Angeles is obviously by far. No one will ever Compete. They're the largest in the world, I think for county. But then the rest of. There's three of us that are right there about the same. So we're definitely a large county sheriff wise. I'm definitely the second largest sheriff's office in the state and then the fourth largest in the country.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

So there's certainly challenges that come with that, challenges that I'd like you to go a little deeper on because you've been pretty successful, especially relatively speaking in the state of California. But my goodness, overall in the state, those are some of the issues that California has just been an example of what not to do and truly failed leadership that has you in the position, you meaning the state, in this position. So what makes you want to go from overall, again, a really successful leadership job there. And just when you look at numbers, right, and crime numbers and statistics in Riverside county to want to even attempt the daunting task of rescuing your state,

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

I think it's exactly that leadership concept because from my perspective it's not that we, we just don't elect leaders, we elect politicians. And I think that California, where we are in California's history is we are striving. We are, I didn't mean to say striving. We are starving for leadership. We're starving to believe in someone that is actually going to care about California instead of their own political agenda or their own ideological agenda. And that honesty, that integrity, that character, that leadership ability to actually run the state has been missing for a very, very, very long time. And so knowing that I, and I don't want to pat myself on the back, but knowing that I have that ability, knowing that everyone else is telling me that I have that leadership ability, it just made it natural to say, okay, well someone has to do it and why not me? And even though sometimes I may, why, why me? Maybe I love my job. Now why would I give that up? The answer is somebody got to do it. And it was either I knew, looking at the people that were running, it was either going to stay the same or get worse. And that leadership ability was non existent in the other people that are running. And I don't mean to say that to be mean, it's just a fact. There's no leadership ability. And so I know that we can make a difference. I know that I can run the state not for my own benefit, but for Californians benefit. And truly in the end, that's what it was for.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

When you say there's no leadership ability from the other people who are running for governor I'm sure they'd love to argue with that. And I know you're getting ready today as we tape for a debate with your opponents. I guess it all is relative and maybe it's subjective, maybe that's the better word because Steve Hilton would argue that with his leadership positions in government and business, whether it be back in England or in the Silicon Valley. I'm sure Katie Porter would have her own version as well of leadership, which I, I, I, I shouldn't laugh. I'm trying to be professional and I'm failing here. Chad over it it, it that is, you know, a wide net. You're casting over those other six people. Why do you think none of them have that leadership?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

It really, you don't get to tell somebody you're a leader and you leadership is earned and there is not one person on that stage that has earned the title or the, or the, the background of being an effective leader. And I mean especially the Democrats. They're all just career politicians. And you brought up Steve. But Steve has never done anything that we know of. He claims that he's a small business owner here in California, but we've never seen a business. We don't know what that is. We know there was crowd pack but he made a statement the other day, just on one of his video that he posted, that it's 36 years in government. Well, that's what we all know. He's just a strategist. His entire career is a political strategist. And to be very, very honest and blunt, a career strategist is trying to figure out how they can maneuver and lie to the public to get people to vote for something that they may not know what they're getting. And that's his background. He's never led anything. He's never led people. And it takes a certain type, it takes a true leader to be able to lead other human beings. You don't just get to say you are. And even the and as much as Tom Steyer is successful, he's a successful businessman. And you don't have to be a leader to be a successful businessman. You have to be a shrewd businessman. And he very much is. But to be a leader of people, especially in a military or law enforcement or any government entity, you have to be able to actually lead them sometimes in paths that they may not 100% agree with you, but they, they trust in you or in your ability in your relations that they're going along with you to be, to be successful. And that's not Sometimes it's not anything you can teach, it's God given, it's born. It's maybe a lifetime of learning, but not something you can just jump into and say, oh, you elected me into a spot so now I'm a leader.

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[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

May 25th Wayfair Every style, every home. Hmm. I I actually completely agree with that. And one of the things I've talked about a lot with my kids or if I'm speaking at a college university about Leadership is how few good leaders I had during my 30 year television career.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

I could probably count them on one hand.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Not that they weren't good people or even had good intentions. One of the keys to me about being a good leader is not just to, you know, pat ourselves on the back when we do something well, but acknowledge things when you haven't done something well, when you make a mistake, because my goodness, that happens to all of us. How have you led in that way where you have been accountable, good or bad?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, so really my whole career, so it's kind of like in the military is the same, but in the law enforcement career, when you get into management levels, even a supervisory level, the split second decisions that you have to make carry consequences that could mean someone's life or injury or death. And when you, when you have for, in my case, 33 years of that, and then now leading such a large organization, my decisions that I make have very serious consequences on the public or on employees. And that is truly the difference that separates me from every other person on that stage is I'm dealing with their decisions. I have to suffer the consequences of the decisions, the political decisions that they have made in their careers. I'm the one dealing with it in real life, I'm the one that has to overcome those things. And then in my own agency, dealing with policies and laws and actions in how we either handle crime or serious incidents, even natural emergencies, the split second decisions that I make, those are lifelong consequences if I make the wrong decision. And that's a different frame of mind and a different concept that these others have to come from because they simply just don't have it.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

You're so right, you cannot create it. And it is much more than financial, which tends to be everybody else's main focus. So let's go through that because finances, obviously are a major issue in the cost of living in the state of California. I was there a couple of weeks ago, actually got to go up to the Reagan ranch outside of Santa Barbara, and literally a life changing moment for me. And I know how much you appreciate that because of how you appreciate Ronald Reagan, but that's what so many people, of course, were talking about. And I'm like, this is the most beautiful state in America. It really is. Top to bottom, north, south, east, west, mountains, desert, you name it, ocean. And people are leaving in droves. So you have the cost of, l have homelessness, you have crime, which seems like everybody's saying, oh no, no, no, it's better in San Francisco. It's Better in Los Angeles county, et cetera. Doesn't feel that way. Granted, I'm not there every single day. So of those three issues, I know

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

they're all equally important and maybe it

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

just depends on the person, but how do you begin to tackle them and in what order?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, so that's the good thing. The beauty about a leader is you don't get an order. You get to put people in place that make it all happen at the same time because they, they are not independ other. It doesn't matter how much I lower the cost of living. If we are not safe here, it won't matter. It doesn't matter how safe I make it here. If we can't afford to live here, we're not going to be here. If I, if I attack those two things and leave out the fact that our businesses are being driven out of California, then nothing changes. So it's a, it is a multi pronged approach to making sure that we attack everything wrong with California right now. At the same time, it can't be a 1, 2 or 3, it's about 50 or 100 or maybe even more. Because every place in the state is experiencing something negative and most places are a whole bunch of things negative. We have to get rid of the highest cost of living in the country. We have to get rid of the highest taxes in the country. We have to get rid of the most regulations in the entire country. We have to get rid of this love affair that we have with criminals and make crime a crime again and consequence for bad behavior. We have to save these businesses from throwing up their hands and saying, well, the cost of doing business, of millions of dollars of theft from my business each year is too expensive now. My business is going to close. All of those things have to be addressed. The violence that we're having in our schools, in our street, the political system that's creating violence, everything has to change. And it has to be a very constant spoken agenda of making sure that you're very transparent about what you're doing. You let everybody know that it's progress every single day. And everyone has to know that I'm actually caring about them. Rather than just government worrying about itself or creating some other bureaucracy. We have to start caring about people and everyone's life is being affected differently and we have to do everything we can to make sure we take care of it all at the same time.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

And this just speaks to the importance of having the right team around you and they are a direct reflection of you. And everybody has to be on the same page or it's not going to work because it's just too darn big to fix. Let's start with the love affair that, that the state of California does seem to have with criminals and how criminals almost have more rights than regular law abiding tax paying citizens. And there is a sense of bravado in the state because they know that there are very little if any measures of accountability that are going to come at them, especially depending on where they are. How would you immediately tackle that?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, there are so many things that have to happen. And unfortunately for us in California, it was our legislature that made a lot of these laws that put them into place. But there was also a very strategic, dishonest way that the governor at the time and the legislature at the time put a measure onto our ballots that lied to us about it so that voters voted for it. Two specific things, Prop 47 and Prop 57. In 2014 and 2015, the voters voted for that. So it's only the voters that can fix it. So the only way for me to fix those two propositions is to get them back on the ballot. A repeal, basically a measure on the ballot that's going to repeal those two measures and we have to have that done. But that's going to take 11 months to get those on the ballot again to where everyone can vote for it. So some of the things AB109 was prison realignment. That was a state law where they just forced state prisoners out into our streets, creating the homeless industrial complex. They forced them back down to county jails which made county jails overcrowded. So we had to release lower level inmates. That created that revolving door that everybody sees in California where someone gets arrested and they're back out in the same place before the, before the cop even gets back. And that's what we've created in California. We can change that relatively quickly. The measures that people have to vote for are going to be special elections. I wish it was executive order that we could change those things and we can't. It's just going to have to be informing California that the dire straits that we are in and the need for those laws to get changed and then them pressuring their respective representatives, assembly members and senators, Senators to make sure that they get that passed as quickly as possible. Wait. And then I'm just standing there with bated breath waiting for that signature to pass that into law.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

The problem that it seems like there is, the biggest problem is that it's habitual in California. Where I've always voted Democrat, my mom and dad did, my grandparents did, and if I don't, you know, it's almost sacrilegious to these people. So even if deep down in their heart they know that you are the better candidate for them, how do you get people to change their minds and in some ways find the courage to do something they've never done before and have been told they shouldn't do?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

It's really convincing them of just that, that they have the power to do it. And it just takes courage. And that's the message that we've been for 15 months now as we've been traveling, talking multiple events every single day. That's exactly what it is. It's getting the courage to act on your own, to act on your values, not on what someone else told you to register as. And when we really just talk about something different than political party or political ideology, if we just talk about our current families, our current beliefs, our current agendas, we realize that we're all the same. And a lot of the values that we have don't align with what the current agenda is from the far left Democrat party, especially in California. And so we're able to convince those people that it's okay that your grandma or your parents were Democrats, but the Democrat party has moved so far left, your values don't align with that anymore. And we just are. We're pushing public safety really hard. People want to be safe. People want to, whether it's open, their business safe, their customers safe or their kids safe, their family safe when they go out at night. Safety is huge in California and it's been on the decline for a while and people are ready for a big, big difference. Last year we had a ballot measure that 70% of the state voted for a different direction in public safety that I mean every county, that's unheard of, especially in a big state. But California, on a Republican, typically Republican type of an anti crime agenda, 70% of the state agreed and said yes, we have to start being more accountable, holding people accountable, being tougher on crime and start caring about victims and law abiding Californians.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Homelessness, where do you begin?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

You know, I actually think homeless is going to be easy. We end the countless billions of dollars that is going to this homeless industrial complex. We stop calling it homeless because it has nothing to do with homes. This is drug and alcohol addiction, this is mental illness and a combination of one making the other wor. And I don't want to even argue about which one causes which One, but we know we have to fix it. We have to have mental health facilities, we have to have substance abuse facilities. And then the biggest one for California is we have to have the facilities that will actually treat both of them together. Because right now in California, they do not exist.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

How do you afford those facilities in a state that is already so cash strapped?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, we are not cash strapped. We have never had a money problem in California. We are extremely wealthy. We have a spending problem, and we spend our money in the wrong places on things that don't matter. And the, the, the beautiful part of this, I'm still tackling homelessness, calling it that, but it's only going to take a fraction of the billions of dollars every single year that they're, they're pushing toward these homes, part of the homeless industrial complex that we have. Only a fraction of that money is going to be used for the facilities to treat them. You can treat them so much cheaper than stealing all the money for building temporary homes and allowing them to still suffer from what they're suffering from. So the, the answer is I actually care about them and I want them to get help. I don't want to have them to have a roof over their head. I want them to have help so we can make them productive again, to get them back to the roofs that they already had.

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[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

the left claims that they're the ones that care and that is why they've created these tent cities, etc. But it's actually if you, if you stop and listen, voters, people out there who are still trying to decide, it is the exact opposite of that because they're actually encouraging them to stay right there where they are. As we transition to the financial part, the cost of living, living. I love that you made that distinction there. Not cash strapped, just bad spending. I think when there's such high taxes

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

and it constantly increases, well we need money for this.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

We need money for this. And so you're going to have to pay. You automatically think to yourself, well they need us. We are cash strapped. But in essence between mismanagement of money, lack of honesty and now even more fraud that has been exposed, I mean it seems like if you took half, just half of the fraud that we have recently learned about, this would be this situation, this issue alone with homelessness could be changed very quickly.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Oh, it really could. And we have to start realizing in California that we haven't been told the Truth by our politicians. And, and in the last 10 years, our state budget, our state spending has doubled. But there is not one person in California that can tell you that they've received twice the services from their government. It just doesn't exist. So that tells you and what we're seeing now and what we're learning now is the waste, fraud and abuse is rampant here in California. It is far worse than what we saw in Minnesota. It's just as bad, if not worse of what they found in Washington D.C. because California has been one party rule for a whole lot longer than any, any other place in the, in the country. And for that reason alone, they are not holding each other accountable. No one has been watching the spending. No one has been caring about auditing those accounts and those where is that money going and is it even effective? And that's really what we're missing. We have to stop that money. We have to, we have to identify the things that work, identify the things that don't and then get rid of them. And that's what California doesn't do. We don't ever get rid of anything. We just find creative ways to raise more tax revenue so we can add more pet projects instead of stopping the ones that obviously aren't working.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

So okay, you can stamp out homelessness. And again, now you're going to make me paranoid. I shouldn't use that phrase. You're right. We need to call it what it is. But if you can take care of that issue quickly. When you look at the cost of living aspect and how difficult that has been, I mean that feels like it might take longer to help Californians not feel the pain and even have to consider leaving the state. What does that look like?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, I don't want to say it's going to be easy, but the majority of the issues that we suffer, maybe in the 60, 65, I don't know if I would hit 70. But somewhere in the 60% range of the problems that we have in California are all derived from regulations. We are the most over regulated state in the country. That is what is driving businesses out of California. It's making it too expensive to operate your business. So that's what drives up the cost of goods and services. Then you have the added addition of taxes, highest tax in the entire country. So we have to lower the tax burden on not only businesses, but regular Californians. And then the building industry is being demolished, just absolutely prevented from building homes because of regulation that adds a third of the price of a home onto that new home. So you can't afford a house, the builder can't afford to build it for what we can purchase it for. But the number one issue in California that drives up the cost of living is gasoline. Everything revolves around transportation and we have by far the highest gas in the country, sometimes double of what other states are. And it's all government imposed. It's added taxes, it's added fees and it's added regulation on the oil industry and the refinery industry that drives costs up when we get rid of those regulations. And I'm not talking about making us a third world country, I'm just talking about making us competitive with the rest of the country. Because California has so many more regulations at the regulatory environment than the rest of the country. It's just not fair to own a business here. You're being punished for choosing California. We are punished for living in California with regulations, a regulatory environment, an environmental activism environment that is not experienced anywhere else in the country country. And that is what is driving our businesses out of our state. That's what's driving the cost of living up, the cost of homes, the cost of gas. And that is the regulatory environment that as the governor I can end all of those things. How fast, how fast can I sign them? It's just, it's, it's executive order that's signing away those regulations. For instance, we have two major activism industries. It's ceqa, the California Environmental Quality act and the California Coastal Commission that are completely, completely controlled by activism and it's anti growth activists. So it's really about making things so expensive they'll let you do something as you long as you pay quadruple the amount what anyone else would pay. And then we've reached our limit now, so we're not doing it. But both of those entities I consist of spent. So now those regulations that, that were derived from those non elected boards and commissions are suspended, taken away and now they no longer apply. So now I can allow the oil industry to make us oil independent. They can drill more oil, they can drill more, they can, we can give them the permits to sink more wells, to use the wells that they already have. We can allow the refineries to actually repair their facilities, to expand their facilities and be able to function and make a living or make a profit in California. A government can't force a business into bankruptcy. That's what we're doing in California. And I'm going to remove that. I'm going to allow the gas industry and the oil industry to come back in with their Refineries, pump the oil, make the gas, bring the cost down. I don't know if we can get the cheapest gas in the country, but why aren't we trying? We're going to be very, very close, if not the cheapest in the country, to be very honest with you. We're California. We're better than everybody else, and I believe that we should be able to do it. And that's going to be my goal. I can't promise that we'll make it, but we're going to get darn close.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

You know, one of the things I have been a little critical of the Trump administration for is not setting expectations. So whether it's with tariffs or even ice, if you just come out and are very clear, like, the end goal is here, and it's going to be awesome. It's going to take a minute to get there with crime, etc. Like, like you said, I, I think that's one thing that I hope that you and others will continue to do is to just be really honest, because everything sounds awesome and great and I, and I believe you. And as far as tempering expectations for certain things, if you're talking about these executive orders that you can sign, just like Donald Trump did, and look what happened at the border, immediately, like, praise God, that's the kind of action that we voted for. Right. In your state, I think there's things that are very similar. But what's the one thing it sounds like it's crime, where you'd say, yes, this is the goal. We're going to clean up our state because we deserve it, we're better than everybody else, and it's going to take some time. I think that's so important because then people get disappointed when you're, when they don't see it happening.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah. Well, I will tell you that it goes to me, being different than anybody else on that stage is we already have proof of concept with me. When I ran for election and won in 2018, I had very specific goals. And sometimes it was in general. It was, my goal is to be the best at everything. That's really what it is. So we are going to strive to be the best at crime fighting, to be the best in our jail system, to be the best. I mean, whatever the case may be community oriented, and those are our goals. That's what we have. And so as I changed the actual organization of my agency and how we approach law enforcement, I was very, very transparent. I was constantly talking about what we're doing, what our ultimate goal is and how we're going to get there. But then showing that progress as we were making our way. And that's why people, that's why people gravitated toward me and I, I guess, lack of better way to explain it became as popular as I have in my own county because everyone knows exactly where I stand. They know exactly when I say something. They know I'm going to strive to get there and I'm going to keep everyone apprised along the way of how we're trying to get there. It's not just an empty promise. If you're going to say something, don't say something unless you know you can do it. And then show everybody that you're going to get there. Don't say it, not do it. So it's just a different concept. It's wanting to be the best. I want California to be the best state in the country again. At one point we were, and we know internally that we no longer are even close, but we also know that it was only because of failed government policies that once we change those, we can get back our beautiful state again.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

What about some, gosh, very deep rooted issues? For example, allowing parents to decide what is best for their kids, excuse me. And taking power away from schools and school counselors, especially when it comes to some of these trans issues and people transitioning administrators, transitioning our children without parents being able to have knowledge. And certainly we've seen all the stories through the last several years with boys and girls, sports and girls, spaces, et cetera. And that's very obviously very personal to me. And your leadership in California currently and over the last several years has just cast that aside and said they support women and girls, but have done the exact opposite. I think I know your thoughts on that, but how quickly can that be addressed as well?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, the way I've said it very bluntly is nowhere in the history of the world did a government ever have a chance. Child. Parents have children and it is up to parents to raise their kids. Government doesn't get to dictate how parents raise their children. And from a, from a dad of a daughter, from a dad of kids and from a cop perspective, there is nothing more sinister, nothing more sinister than an adult telling a child and convincing a child to keep a secret from their parents. There is absolutely nothing good that comes out of that. And we now have a government that is pushing that agenda. That has to stop. Not only does it, is it and does it seem criminal, but they've had to pass laws. So we can't hold them accountable. And I've been very, very clear in my county, I will arrest any school official who facilitates a girl being victimized. I don't care if they are being forced as a teacher or a coach or whatever it is by their school district to allow boys and girls locker rooms. The moment a girl complains that she was assaulted, offended, whatever the case may be, I am not only going to arrest that person that violated her, I'm also going to arrest the adults that facilitated it, because that's a crime also. And I was very open, I was very transparent with our school officials. They know that I'm going to do it. I've already had to arrest a couple of school officials for failing to notify. And we have been very, very good in my county that I have not had to go through with that promise. But I think they know that I will. I won't even think twice about doing it.

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[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

If they know that you're going to hold them accountable because you set the expectations from the beginning, then that tends to drop the chances of you know or lessen the chances of them going in and even trying to clarify your thoughts on boys in girls locker rooms,

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

there is never with me as your governor, there will never be a boy in your daughter's locker room ever again. They will not compete against them in sports. Further into the government making the decision for parents, you're also not going to have to kitchen kids vaccinated to get them into school to get an education. So we're basically just bringing common sense back. The adults are going to take over the conversation again and we're taking it away from the activism because the activism is meant for a very, very, very, very, extremely small population. And the rest of us are paying the consequences. Governments are not supposed to be run off of activism. Governments are supposed to be run off of common sense that's best for the greater good, and that's what we're going to do. Do.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Common sense to me is also showing an ID when I walk in to vote. Yeah, I remember. And I mean, this is so basic. And I remember in 2021, Biden had just taken office. I was still at ESPN and I interviewed him on SportsCenter. And it's a story for another day. You and I were a glass of wine because, my goodness, that was something memorable to say to least. But I was given a very strict script and could not venture away from any word of it. But one of the things that I was asked to discuss with him was what was happening in Atlanta at that time. 2021, the major league Baseball All Star Game was about to be held in Atlanta. And he said he would consider encouraging them to take it out of Atlanta because of the racist voter ID laws, which just means people who look like me being required to bring an ID to vote just like everybody else. And how they tied the word racism into it. It worked and they took it out. And we know that it is just weaponized across the country with so many different issues. So I just had to share that because it was the President of the United States. It's like, now we know certainly the truth, but it's been maddening to me, Sheriff Bianco, to witness this, which is the most basic thing, and the fact that it's even a question, you know, with the census and illegals and should they be. The word illegal says everything to me. Why is this so difficult? What does that look like in the state of California with the, I think common sense rule of making sure you are a registered citizen in order to vote.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, I mean, that's, it's right there in the Constitution. You have to be a citizen to vote. So why are we not making sure from one extreme to the other, if we don't have voter it, if we don't ID to find out who's voting, especially, I mean, this is, I'm going to use an example, but it's the reality of where we, where we are because of the last four years before President Trump is you have millions of people coming into your cities and your towns and your county and your state, and those millions of people can just go in and vote and you can't stop them. We're even printing ballots in their language. We know they're not citizens, but yet they're coming in with their beliefs from outside of our country. And they're changing the political landscape of the United States of America. They have no concept of our laws, of our Constitution, of our country, other than they know it's better than the country they came from. But they're kind of voting for free stuff. That's really what they want. They're not voting for hard work. They're voting for free stuff. And so we have to make, we have to take this back. This is common sense that we have to make sure that it is citizens that are voting because we can't let another country especially. What if it was China? We know from a law enforcement perspective there were far more people from China coming across our border than Mexico, but yet in California at least, it's kind of like beat into us that we're somehow racist against Hispanics because we just have a border with Mexico. But I know from the law enforcement perspective, it wasn't people from Mexico that were coming across the border. That was like less than 5%. They were Chinese, they were Russian, they were from the Middle East. And so we have to make sure that those political environments are not taking control of our political environment. And this whole, the, the concept of just calling us racist and then getting us to psychologically back down because, I mean, no one wants to be called a racist. But the reality is, is I would be willing to bet you that 98, 99% of the country doesn't have a racist bone in their body. Are there idiots out there who may be racist? That there, there are some people out there, but that it's not the majority of us. The, the majority of us couldn't care less. Are you a good person or not? Do you like your kids? Do you like your wife? Do you like your husband? Are we good neighbors? That's all we really care about. But we have people making money and in politics, using race as a. To anger people or emotionally attach them, and it's clouding our better judgment.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

It's so fascinating too, because I think if people just stopped and thought about it and used their brain and common sense, they'd understand that these, the crazy cost of living and the highest taxes in the country, one big part of that is because of the support being sent to people who aren't contributing, who are illegal and in many cases criminal. So it just, it doesn't seem that hard to me. And I hope that that is something that could be, will be addressed right away. Obviously, recently, Donald Trump endorsed your fellow Republican candidate, Steve Hilton. What was your reaction when the President did that?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Well, my personal reaction, it was one o' clock in the morning and Denise woke me up and said, hey, you know, I have some bad news. Well, bad news to me is dispatch got a hold of her because I didn't answer my phone and something bad happened with one of my deputies or something. So I said, what? And I'm all prepared. And she said, well, the President endorsed Steve. And I said, oh, that sucks. And I rolled over and went back to sleep. So much so that in the morning she's like, hey, were you awake when I told you that last night? And I said, yes, yes. And it just, you know, I'm not running this race to get the President's endorsement. I get how it would be cool to have the President of the United States endorse your campaign, but I want Californians to endorse me. I'm doing this to make a better life for all of Californians. And that's the endorsement that I want. I want the voting public in California. That's who I want, their endorsement. And I'm going to make sure I earn it and I'm going to make sure I don't disappoint any of them. And it's just not something that, that, that I thought about that. I, that definitely doesn't bother me. And to be very honest with you, I think it's working in my favor here.

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

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[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

You know, we have an environment in California where a lot of people here, all Democrats and probably a big majority of the independents, the no party preference, and then even some Republicans just do not like our president. And the proof is Kamala Harris running against Donald Trump for the President of the United States won 60, 40 in our state. You can't tell me that 60% of this population believed that she was more capable or competent in that position. They voted against Donald Trump. It was not for Kamala Harris. And so I think that in this race case, as much as I like some of the things that Steve says, those same people are not only not going to vote for Donald Trump endorsed candidate, they're not going to vote for Fox News. And that's, that's the reality of where we are in California.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

We started this conversation with the two things we had in common. A little bit of a military background. And also this, the summer of 2020 and how that literally changed not just your state, but our country and our world. There's a lot of people like Me, who, I mean, I refuse to forget. I guess, yes, I'm bitter and I'm still angry because I know that we were lied to. And more importantly than anything that happened to me is the millions of people whose lives changed in much more drastic ways and losing loved ones that they weren't able to be next to and vaccine related injuries that are still very difficult to research because of the lack of reporting and I mean outlets making sure and making it disappear. What's your biggest takeaway from such a difficult time that obviously changed you enough to consider doing something like this? Running for governor.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

It's a big part of it. It all went into the decision for me to run. And in the end the governor's decision to do that was not in the best interest of California. He wasn't even thinking of Californians because I was behind the scenes in those discussions. I was behind the scenes in that, that information where we were trying to get answers. And I knew that we were not being told the truth. I knew that it was not what it was being described. And so then we also had to know that those decisions were made for something else. And was it money, Was it power, Was it control? I don't want to get into that argument, but I definitely do know that it had absolutely nothing to do with the interests of Californians. And we can't have a government, politicians that do not have the courage to stand up for what's right, to stand up for what our Constitution represents and means and to represent the people that elected them.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

And I don't say if, but when, when they try it again? Because yes, at this point, I think if we dig deep into the facts, we know there are a lot of things that were done intentionally, not just with the virus itself, but certainly with the vaccine itself, etc. How do you make sure California doesn't get to that point again where you are arrested illegally, from what I understand, arrested for being on the beach. You're not allowed to send your kids to school unless they have, you know, all 72 vaccines, which, you know, now it seems like HHS is trying to do something about that as well as the vaccine schedule is changing. But how do you make sure? Because I watched you guys from across the country, country and disgusted and disappointed. And there's millions of people who will never recover, especially businesses who had to shut down.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, they won't. And the only thing I can do is promise that it would never happen again in California. And I can promise just pointing to the past to say I refuse to allow it to happen in my county. So again, you have proof of concept. And I will be doing that for the entire state. And we do know that it was wrong. And I am very lucky. My businesses in Riverside county, business owners adore me for what I did for them because I saved their businesses. They didn't lose their businesses in Riverside County. We actually brought more residents in during that time than any place in the country. And that brought their businesses with them. I brought employees in because anybody in the state that got fired for not accepting the or for not taking the vaccine, I hired them. I was very, very open that we were not going to be going down that road that they were pushing us down. And that's what you're going to get as a governor with me. And then during my eight years, while I'm going to do that again, we will make sure we put laws in place that do not allow any future governor to be able to come in and do that same thing.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Do you ever think about that time and look at the silver lining in it? Because I've forced myself to do that. And there's actually so much good that has come from it. Knowledge, education, asking a few more questions, trusting our gut as parents, much less businessmen and women. But if not for that, that you wouldn't be doing this today and really, really trying to bring your state back. So maybe, maybe there's even more good to come of it than I thought.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

You know, there really is. And the way I look at it is it was the end of apathy. I think that it started with moms. When they started messing with kids, they made moms angry. And when moms got angry, then dads came along with it. And some dads were angry too, in the beginning. But this truly was a mama bear movement of, you attack my kids and you're going to get the RA of their mother. And that started the movement all across the country. And I think that it's. It's keeping it going. It's forcing us now to wake up and. And not be apathetic about who we're voting for because of the consequences that we suffered. It's asking more questions. It's demanding transparency. It's demanding these things change. Because we got to a point where we were just comfortable. We were comfortable in our own lives, and we weren't paying attention to what was happening in the government around us. And then it got it. Then it became too late. And once we figured it out, it was too. And now we're standing up, trying to take it back and I really do believe that that is what has. I don't want it to sound like cheesy or anything, but it's patriotism in America that was revived when our freedoms were taken away.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

So. Well said. And like I said earlier, the experience at the Reagan Ranch was just so moving for me and something that I know I could never have experienced if not for my chaos and cancellation at some point, etc. But it brought me back to how California once was with who I believe is the greatest president of my lifetime. And the potential that is. That is still there. The people are beautiful. I under. I used to say, why the hell

[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

do you guys stay there?

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

You're crazy. You're going broke, you're stepping over, you know, people on the streets. The crime is whatever. You see why when you're just driving around in those beautiful mountains and the ocean and the skiing and the like, it's such an incredible state, and I understand why people have put up with it. How cool would it be if you can look back eight, nine years from now and say, okay, it wasn't perfect, but I did it, I tried, and we're better for it?

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Yeah, I'm very confident that that's where we're going to find ourselves. We did experience the greatest. Not only the great. Did the country have the greatest president in our lifetimes, but we had him as our governor. And a little bit of irony is when he was. When he started as the governor of Californ is the year I was born. So it's been that long that we have been void of that leadership, void of that person that's truly cared so much about California, to make things better here, with common sense and with reason and doing things for the right reason, really, outside of a political agenda. And I'm really looking forward to be able to do that again. The last person that lived in our governor's mansion was Ronald Reagan and Denise and I can't wait to move in there.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Oh. Oh, my goodness. That gives me chills. Listen, I know this is a unique setup. I think the jungle primary, the open primary, where you whittle it down to the top two, who will then run for governor against each other in November. So I hope and pray to see you there in November. And I'm just grateful. I'm grateful for what you have chosen to do. This is a choice and the way that you've lived your life and run your county for so long, it's a beautiful thing. Thing. Best of luck. Keep crushing it. And thank you. I know you're busy. Thank you for taking the time for my viewers to understand more about what California can do.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

Well, you're welcome. And thank you. I truly allow you, or appreciate you allowing me to be on your show and speak with you about all of this. It's great to get it out in the open and let everybody hear that California isn't as broken as that everybody thinks it might be. And we are compelling.

[Interviewer (Sage Deal)]

Coming back, Sheriff Chad Bianco, thank you. And I told you let me know when you're here in Nashville.

[Sheriff Chad Bianco]

I will for sure. I promise.

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