RIVERSIDE (CNS) — Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel and Supervisor Manuel Perez were on track to win re-election in Tuesday's primary election, holding sizable leads that grew further Wednesday after additional vote returns were posted.
In the Second District, Spiegel — first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022 — led her opponent, self-described human rights advocate Sukhbir Singh Gill, by 77% to 23% Wednesday morning.
In the Fourth District, Perez held a 60% to 40% advantage over La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez. Perez maintained his momentum through the night, with Sanchez gaining little ground in updated results.
None of the candidates had released statements as of Wednesday morning. The county Registrar of Voters reported roughly 323,000 vote-by-mail and conditional ballots remained unprocessed, with counting expected to continue through June 9.
Spiegel, a former Corona City Council member, has emphasized a "roll-up-your-sleeves" governing style in campaign materials. She has been a consistent supporter of law enforcement and was the lone vote against a 2020 Board of Supervisors resolution criticizing Minneapolis police officers connected to the in-custody death of George Floyd. Another supervisor abstained in the 3-1 vote approving the measure, which Spiegel said was overly broad and unfairly characterized law enforcement.
Gill's campaign centered heavily on sheriff's department oversight, pointing to multiple incidents involving deputies arrested or convicted for conduct on and off duty. He has called for the creation of an ad hoc committee for civilian oversight of the sheriff's department.
"Only one in five supervisors has even considered establishing an ad-hoc committee for civilian oversight of the sheriff," Gill said during a recent supervisors' meeting. "Since (Sheriff) Chad Bianco has been in office, crimes in the county have risen by 18%. Not to mention that Karen's husband joined Bianco's campaign (for governor)."
Spiegel has received consistent backing from the Riverside Sheriffs' Association. She has also supported homelessness reduction strategies, expansion of veterans' services, and efforts to improve confidence in the Registrar of Voters' office, including service on a committee with former Supervisor Kevin Jeffries.
In the Fourth District race, Sanchez emphasized improving quality of life in the Coachella Valley as a central campaign theme.
The candidates also clashed over immigration policy earlier this year, when Perez introduced a resolution declaring Riverside County "a vibrant, compassionate and welcoming place for all law-abiding immigrants and refugees," and committing the county to protecting civil rights "to the fullest extent provided by the law." The measure was seen as a response to federal immigration enforcement actions at the time. Sanchez criticized the resolution, saying the county should not weigh in on federal immigration matters, while Perez said he was responding to concerns from immigrant families.
Perez has also been credited by supporters in the Coachella Valley's "ranchero" community after directing a review of enforcement of the county's noise ordinance, allowing ranchero businesses to host events such as wedding receptions later into the night under certain conditions.
He has faced ongoing criticism over short-term rental enforcement, with county regulations widely viewed as inconsistently enforced in some unincorporated areas of the Coachella Valley. Perez has said STR activity "is going to happen" regardless of restrictions, while offering limited concrete proposals for reform.
Perez was not implicated in the recent conviction of his longtime friend and former chief of staff, ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, who was found guilty of perjury and felony conflict of interest by a public official. It was unclear why Hernandez remained in his role after charges were filed.
Sanchez highlighted his military service in the Marine Corps as central to his leadership approach, along with his work on regional planning bodies including the Southern California Association of Governments and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments.
Perez, a former three-term state assemblyman first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2017, pointed to efforts including keeping Lake Cahuilla open, revitalizing the National Date Festival, and restructuring the Department of Animal Services toward a "no-kill" model.
"I'm running for re-election because I want to continue the fight to improve the lives of Riverside County residents," Perez said. "Although the challenges we face are real, I am proud of the work we are doing every day."
In the Fifth District, Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez won a second term in the primary with no listed opponent, though nearly 500 write-in votes were recorded.
