Leftist CalMatters Distorts Reality about New California: Robert Thomas III Sends Redaction Letter

A leftist magazine known as CalMatters decided to weight in on Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco's investigation into election irregularities during the November 2, 2025 Special Election for Proposition 50 the gerrymandering of congressional districts in California.

In the CalMatters article the authors state the following:

"In the spring of 2022, a woman named Shelby Bunch began appearing at government hearings in Riverside County, demanding that officials there address what she believed was an epidemic of fraud in local elections.

Bunch often introduced herself as a representative of New California, a secessionist movement that seeks to break away from what it describes as the tyranny of a Democratic-controlled state.

She accused Riverside officials of colluding in criminal activity and warned that they would soon “be answering to law enforcement.” She once closed her comments by telling the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to “have a crappy day.”

The supervisors didn’t seem to take Bunch seriously, but she found a powerful ally in Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco."

THE statement that New California a secessionist movement is deliberate lie made by CaMatters. This lie prompted a swift demand and retract response by our attorney.

Demand and Retract LINK HERE

After repeated appeals by the Citizens of Riverside County at open Board of Supervisor meetings the Citizens determined an official Grievance toward the Registrar of Voters was in order. These Declarations of Truth gave the Riverside County Sheriff probable cause to open a case into numerous potential crimes the Registrar of Voter may have been engaged.

October 4, 2022, 1st Amendment: A Redress of Grievances, Probable Cause

The reality check for everyone to understand is that with "Declarations of Truth" a form of "Grievance" an individual Citizen can declare their personal grievance toward an elected official. During the course of several days over 100 signatures were gathered Riverside County Citizens who were concerned about Riverside County elections.

The signed Declarations of Truth to support a probable cause case against the Registrar of Voters in October of 2022 were presented to Ms Spencer. Ms Spencer was given 10 days to respond. Spencer failed to respond and the Riverside County Citizens and believing there was probalble cause the Citizens referred the matter to the Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

Following the issuance of the case number in October 2022 the Sheriff investigated the Registrar of Voters Rebecca Spencer. Nearly one year later on September 12, 2023 Ms Spencer was placed on administrative leave by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

From the Hemet, San Jacinto Chronicle

"Riverside County’s elections chief has been placed on paid administrative leave with less than six months to go until California’s 2024 primary. News of Registrar of Voters Rebecca Spencer’s leave surfaced after the Board of Supervisors met behind closed doors Tuesday, Sept. 12, to discuss her job performance.

County spokesperson Yaoska Machado confirmed Wednesday, Sept. 13, that Spencer was on leave. Juan Perez, the county’s chief operating officer “will work closely with the department’s leadership team and dedicated staff to continue to prepare for upcoming elections and to ensure the delivery of services for the communities we serve,” Machado said via email."

The October 2022, Probable Cause Was Never Closed, On Going Investigation into 45,896 BALLOT / VOTE DISCREPANCY CERTIFIED BY BOTH RIVERSIDE COUNTY AND CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE

Since the October 2022 Declaration of Truth were issued the case has remained opened as an ongoing investigation. That means the 2024 Presidential and the Proposition 50 Redisdricting Special Election cycles were left open for investigation.

March 20, 2026 SHERIFF BIANCO ANNOUNCES INVESTIGATION

Sheriff reveals investigations into Riverside and State elections is an "open" case since October 2022.

Hailey Grace Gomez

@haileyggomez

Sheriff @ChadBianco held a press conference this morning accusing

@AGRobBonta of trying to intimidate the Riverside County Sheriff’s investigation into the 2025 Prop 50 election. It centers on a huge 45,896-vote discrepancy: County logs show 611,428 ballots cast — but Sec. of State Shirley Weber certified 657,322. Bianco says Bonta repeatedly tried to shut down the probe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo6ir8fEULI

A judge ruled Thursday the Sheriff’s office can resume investigating and counting under a special master. According to Bianco, neither Bonta nor Weber has ever raised concerns about the massive 45K gap. The investigation is ongoing with no firm date on when the count will be concluded

@cacourier

ABC10 previously reported that Bianco, who is also a top Republican candidate for governor, had seized more than 600,000 ballots as part of an investigation into alleged discrepancies in the special election for Proposition 50.

The investigation centers on figures from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. Bianco said an audit of handwritten logs maintained by the office shows 611,428 ballots were cast, while 657,322 votes were reported and certified to the state — a difference of 45,896.

He said the calculation was conducted by a group of citizen volunteers who obtained the records through a public records request.

“We don’t know what we’re going to find until we count those ballots,” Bianco previously told ABC10.

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters explained the discrepancy in a report to the Board of Supervisors at its Feb. 10 meeting.