Riverside County must create an independent medical examiner's office by July 1, 2027, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1379 on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The law strips Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco of the coroner title his department has held since 1998 and requires the Riverside County Board of Supervisors to stand up a new office led by a licensed physician qualified in pathology. The Sheriff's Department provides law enforcement to unincorporated areas and contract cities across the county, including the Temecula area. The bill was authored by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D-Riverside).

Bianco called the move political. "Unfortunately, elections have consequences," he told The Press-Enterprise. "Our board of supervisors and executive office made the right decision to reject separating the offices because it is not what is best for residents. Lies, identity politics, and a dysfunctional state government have now forced this upon us."

County Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen warned the transition carries unfunded costs. Creating a new department "and transitioning these highly specialized services within approximately nine months is a significant undertaking," Van Wagenen said in an email to The Press-Enterprise. He added that "there are substantial costs that are not covered by this new state mandate."

No cost estimate has been released.

The county's supervisors voted unanimously in 2024 not to split the offices, after a county study recommended keeping them together. Newsom's signature overrides that decision.

Supporters of the law point to Riverside County's record on in-custody deaths. Between 2011 and 2022, 226 people died in custody in county jails. That accounted for roughly 10 percent of all in-custody deaths statewide despite the county holding about 6 percent of California's population, according to Sen. Cervantes' office. In-custody deaths resulted in nearly $100 million in legal settlements paid by county taxpayers between 2014 and 2024, her office said.

In 2022 alone, at least 19 detainees died in county custody, the highest annual total the California Department of Justice had reported in more than three decades, Patch reported.

SB 1379 also requires the county to post an initial incident report on its website within 24 hours of an in-custody death and a preliminary report within 72 hours. The county must notify next-of-kin of the cause of death within 72 hours of the determination. Only the medical examiner may sign a death certificate during an autopsy under the new law.

A separate state law, Assembly Bill 1108, takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and requires that in-custody death determinations be made independently of the sheriff-coroner in every California county with a combined office. The Palm Desert City Council cited AB 1108 in opposing SB 1379, arguing the existing legislation was sufficient, KESQ reported.

Forty-eight of California's 58 counties still combine the sheriff and coroner roles. Los Angeles and San Diego counties already operate separate offices.

Van Wagenen said the county will work with the Sheriff's Department, employees and labor partners to build the new office. The Board of Supervisors has until July 1, 2027, to complete the transition.