Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chair Karen Spiegel and Supervisor Manuel Perez appeared to be handily fending off their opponents in the June 2 primary election, according to early returns.
Spiegel, who was first elected in 2018 and again in 2022, is favored to win a third term in her race against self-described “human rights advocate” Sukhbir Singh Gill.
The first ballot count posted Tuesday night showed her capturing 77% of votes cast.
The chair, who served on the Corona City Council prior to her election to represent the county’s Second District, has touted her “roll up your sleeves” work ethic in campaign literature.
Spiegel has been an unerring law enforcement supporter and stood alone in opposing a 2020 board resolution that called out Minneapolis police officers connected to the in-custody death of George Floyd. Another supervisor abstained during the 3-1 vote in favor of the proclamation, which Spiegel argued was over-broad and unfairly mischaracterized peace officers as a whole.
One of the central themes of Gill’s campaign against the incumbent is sheriff’s operations and the repeated instances in which deputies have been arrested or convicted stemming from actions in the jails, on duty during patrol, or off duty and interacting with the public.
“Only one in five supervisors has even considered establishing an ad- hoc committee for civilian oversight of the sheriff,” the candidate 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 has joined Bianco’s campaign (for governor).”
Spiegel has consistently received endorsements from the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association.
She’s backed strategies for reducing homelessness, regularly advocated for expansion of veterans’ services and has been engaged in efforts to improve confidence in the Office of the Registrar of Voters, serving on a committee with former Supervisor Kevin Jeffries for that purpose.
On the opposite end of the county, Supervisor Manuel Perez jumped to a 12,000-vote lead Tuesday night over longtime acquaintance and La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez in the Fourth District election.
“I have been focused on solving real problems that matter to every neighborhood, strengthening public safety, support for businesses and improving the quality of life for the people who call this region home,” Sanchez said on his campaign web portal.
The candidate and incumbent’s opposing positions were distinctly apparent at the start of 2025, when then-Chairman Perez submitted a resolution that was ultimately approved, declaring the county “a vibrant, compassionate and welcoming place for all law-abiding immigrants and refugees and commits (the county) to safeguarding the civil rights of all our residents to the fullest extent provided by the law.”
The measure was viewed as a direct response to the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement deportation sweeps then beginning. Sanchez said the chairman was veering off track and had no business inserting the county into a federal matter. Perez argued he owed it to speak on behalf of non-citizens and their families fearing removal.
Perez received praise from the “ranchero” community in 2023 after he insisted the Transportation & Land Management Agency reevaluate enforcement of the countywide noise control ordinance in relation to the operation of rancheros in the eastern Coachella Valley.
The businesses, which must meet established criteria, are now permitted to host wedding receptions and other traditional ceremonies until specified hours of the night without fear of legal repercussions from the county.
The supervisor has had mixed success with his position on short term rentals, or STRs. The county’s STR regulations have been widely viewed as ineffective, with some unincorporated communities in the Coachella Valley drawing large crowds at homes rented out a few days at a time.
Perez recently stated that STRs “are going to happen” regardless of complaints, but unlike Supervisor Chuck Washington, the candidate has offered little in the way of firm recommendations for rectifying problems.
Perez was not directly implicated in the recent conviction of his longtime friend and chief of staff, ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, for perjury and felony conflict of interest by a public official. However, it was unclear why the supervisor didn’t immediately dismiss Hernandez when the charges were filed last year.
Sanchez pointed to his service in the Marine Corps as an asset, saying it aided in defining his leadership skills, while his civic contributions — from serving on the Southern California Association of Governments’ Regional Council to membership on the Coachella Valley Association of Governments — have reinforced his understanding to “listen first, serve selflessly and put people before politics.”
Perez, who was a three-term state assemblyman before joining the Board of Supervisors in 2017, highlighted his work to keep Lake Cahuilla open, reinvigorate the National Date Festival and reorganize the Department of Animal Services to change the agency’s course from being a high kill to a “no kill” operation affecting impounded pets as significant accomplishments.
“I’m running for re-election because I want to continue the fight to improve the lives of Riverside County residents,” he 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 is running for his second term without a listed opponent, though there is a space for write-in candidates on the primary election ballot.