In the midst of one of the nastiest and costliest races for Riverside County Sheriff, Lt. Chad Bianco, has declined to complete a questionnaire for Uken Report after saying he would.
Bianco is challenging incumbent Sheriff Stan Sniff in the Nov. 6 California General Election. Both candidates are Republicans.
Uken Report sent both candidates identical questions a week ago with a deadline. Sniff responded; Bianco did not. His questions were sent to his campaign spokesperson, Andre Levesque, who has been responding on Bianco’s behalf. Apparently they were never forwarded to Bianco.
Sniff’s responses were published Oct. 16 and are available to read here.
In an effort to be fair, Uken Report continued to reach out to Bianco to see if he would respond. So much had transpired in the past week about the controversial questionnaire he completed and certified, about his qualifications for the job, or lack thereof, his feelings about the LGBTQ community and more, we felt it imperative he had ample chance to respond. The certified questionnaire is available to read here.
Much of the controversy centers on a trio of questions:
We texted back and forth and in one text he said, “This should have been a dead issue but stan (sic) keeps it going in the media by continuing the lies. To me, it’s kind sad for him.”
He also said that Sniff is “so far behind in the polls he nothing bu this to try to derail me.”
Asked if he would share the poll data to which he was referring, Bianco did not respond.
Uken Report even offered to send him new questions so he could set the record straight. Bianco agreed. He told Uken Report he was taking Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, off so he could complete the Uken Report questionnaire.
At 2:12 p.m. on Friday, Uken Report received an email from Levesque they would decline to respond.
The questions were designed to give him an opportunity to clear up the so-called lies, let him lay out his qualifications as Sniff did, and more. He declined all.
Following are the questions posed to Bianco.
- What qualifications do you have to manage a $700 million budget and 3,600 employees.
- You completed and signed a controversial questionnaire distributed by Temecula-Murrieta Republican Assembly, which is described as an “extreme right wing group.” Do you stand by your responses in the questionnaire?
- Did you clearly understand the questions in the questionnaire and does it accurately portray your beliefs?
- How do you define marriage?
- The Riverside Sheriff’s Association has pumped $1.4 million into your campaign to date. It appears they are trying to buy the seat and buy you. What are you promising them in return? How will you stand up to it, or won’t you?
- You read the same blogs/posts that I do, so I’m sure you see comments from people who say the Sheriff’s Department will be run by the union, not the Sheriff. What do you say to that?
- You told Uken Report earlier this week that you would you would make Sheriff Sniff’s LGBTQ policies better. You said, “I firmly believe our current policies are paper policies only, and serve simply as a check-off for political purposes. I do not believe we have any type of a meaningful relationship with LGBT leaders in the community.” So, what specifically will you do to improve and expand policies/relationships in this area?
- You have every POA endorsement in Riverside County, if I’m not mistaken. Did you interview with each and every one of those associations or did the RSA president formally impose the union “hometown rule” on allied law enforcement POAs to bring them into line with RSA’s own posture — all done by the unions’ leadership alone, without input of their members?
- Do you support body cameras? Why or why not?
- Why, in your mind, have you not been promoted after so many years of service?
- Will you violate federal law and the court orders and refuse to release prisoners?
- Why has this race gotten so incredibly nasty?
Bianco had an opportunity clear up what he said are lies. He had no comment.
Why?
