Last July 29, a contingent of community members, advocates and families affected by the mistreatment of relatives incarcerated at Riverside County jails converged on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors meeting. Their goal: for the county to take steps to better oversee the goings-on at county jails.
One witness after another brought up serious concerns about the unusually high number of in-custody deaths (about 250 inmates have died while detained by the county since 2011), allegations of prisoners’ civil rights being ignored, multimillion-dollar legal settlements that drain public funds—and the lack of transparency by Chad Bianco’s sheriff’s department.
District 1 Supervisor Jose Medina made a motion calling for the establishment of a committee to consider creating a body to oversee Riverside County Sheriff’s Department job performance, transparency and accountability—but the effort died when none of his fellow supervisors seconded the motion.
On Nov. 11, a group of concerned citizens—made up of groups including Riverside All of Us or None, Starting Over Strong (SOS) and others—announced a plan to place an independent sheriff’s oversight committee initiative on the 2026 ballot. To accomplish that goal, the group would need to obtain 35,000-plus verified signatures of registered Riverside County voters, and deliver them to the county by April 3.
With that deadline approaching, the Independent reached out recently to Nathan Kempe, a founding member of SOS, to find out if the effort had been successful.
It had not.
In reply, Kempe provided a statement which reads, in part: “Over the past four months, the petition effort has seen tremendous support from aligned community groups, a network of more than 100 volunteers, and many community partners across Riverside County, helping to circulate the initiative and engage residents. However, as we approached the 2026 deadline, it became clear that the tight timeline for qualifying for the 2026 ballot was not our only constraint.”
Kempe’s statement said several proposals have been introduced in the California Legislature that could affect the initiative effort—including Assembly Bill 2257, which would change how counties structure jail governance.
“Our coalition decided it was more responsible to pause and reassess rather than rush something onto the ballot that might need revision shortly afterward,” Kempe’s statement said.
“The coalition will continue advocating for independent sheriff oversight at every opportunity as the groundwork for the next ballot cycle continues.”
Nathan Kempe, founding member of Starting Over Strong
Now, the coalition is planning an initiative campaign for the 2028 ballot cycle.
“Although we paused the qualification effort for this cycle,” the statement said, “the petition campaign significantly expanded public awareness of independent sheriff oversight. It strengthened a vibrant volunteer network and coalition of community partners across Riverside County. That groundwork positions the effort to move forward in the next ballot cycle with a clearer policy landscape and the strongest possible oversight structure.”
Kempe’s statement explained the coalition’s plan moving forward.
“Over the next 18 months,” Kempe wrote, “coalition partners will build on the volunteer network and community partnerships formed during the initial petition effort—expanding organizing across all five supervisorial districts, hosting listening sessions in each district, and working alongside immigrant and other historically marginalized communities across Riverside County. The coalition will continue advocating for independent sheriff oversight at every opportunity as the groundwork for the next ballot cycle continues.”
Kempe added that the “need for (county jail) oversight has never been starker,” and pointed to new information about the 2020 death of Jamall Brown, who was in jail following a parole violation, as an example.
“For years, families, advocates and community leaders have raised alarms about deaths in custody, (the use of) excessive force, and the lack of transparency surrounding (such incidents) in Riverside County,” the statement said. “The Desert Sun recently reported that Jamall Brown’s death—initially classified as an overdose—is now the subject of a lawsuit alleging he died from untreated diabetic complications after pleading for medical help while deputies and medical staff ignored him. Cases like this continue to underscore why independent sheriff oversight is necessary.”
To learn more or volunteer, visit oversightnow.org.