California sheriff halts Prop 50 voter-fraud probe amid lawsuits

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco paused his months-long independent probe into alleged Prop 50 voter irregularities amid politically charged lawsuits and court filings; he had seized more than 650,000 ballots, a move opposed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who asked the state Supreme Court to stop the investigation, arguing Bianco lacked authority. The dispute centers on tallies discrepancies claimed by the Riverside Election Integrity Team (reporting a 45,896 difference) versus officials' assertion of a 103-vote margin, and UCLA’s Voting Rights Project has filed suit, making the probe a political flashpoint in California ahead of the governor race.