A candidate for governor vows to fix California. For that, he’ll need a map | Opinion
Would someone please give gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco a crash course in California geography before he embarrasses himself again?
Or maybe provide him with cue cards for his next video shoot, because he blew it when he paid a recent visit to Templeton, which is located in California’s beautiful Central Coast county of San Luis Obispo.
Bianco — who is sheriff of Riverside County and the leading Republican candidate for California governor — mistakenly referred to the Central Coast as the Central Valley.
Granted, it’s an easy mistake, since they both start with “Central.” Also, you can’t see the ocean from Templeton.
Still, it’s a bit like confusing San Francisco with San Fernando, and when you commit such a faux pas at the start of a political campaign, it can come back to haunt you, though judging by his fans on social media, most out-of-towners didn’t catch the mistake. But locals did, and even his supporters were unwilling to give him a total pass.
On Facebook, one woman lamented that she wished she had a chance to shake Bianco’s hand while he was in Templeton, though she later added: “He does need to realize that we are the Central Coast and not the Central Valley though!”
Sheriff promises to fix insurance crisis
The purpose of the sheriff’s visit to Templeton appeared to be limited; he didn’t post any interactions with locals on his social media feeds, anyway. What he did share was a campaign video filmed in front of Templeton Feed & Grain, which was partially destroyed in a July 4 fire. Four juveniles are suspected of starting the blaze with fireworks.
Bianco promised that, if he’s elected, such tragedies will not happen on his watch.
“As your governor, I will ensure that public safety is not only a priority in California to prevent these type of horrific, horrific crimes,” he said. “I will also make sure that we have affordable insurance with plenty of insurance companies to make sure that our property and our livelihoods are protected.”
Unfortunately, the granary building was uninsured; an owner of the business told The SLO Tribune that a former insurer notified his family a few years ago that their policy would not be renewed, and they were not able to find another company willing to insure the decades-old building.
That’s become a major problem in California, both for business owners and homeowners. It’s an issue that should be addressed in the gubernatorial campaign, though merely promising to take care of this complicated situation is not going to magically solve this crisis.
But instead of offering thoughtful solutions, Bianco is trying to win over voters by portraying California as a crime-ridden hellscape where not even a rural community like Templeton is safe.
His videos are filled with images of homeless encampments, riots, fires and boarded-up businesses.
“Californians deserve better,” is the running theme of this campaign — without letting us in on how he is going to deliver what we deserve, aside from the same old promises about “removing regulations,” along with threats to veto any legislation that he doesn’t like.
Trailing in the latest poll
At this point in the campaign, Bianco’s shot at winning is slimmer than those blue jeans he wears in his videos.
In a UC Irvine poll released on July 2, former Vice President Kamala Harris — who has yet to announce whether she will run — led the pack with 24%, followed by Democrat Rick Caruso, 9%, and Katie Porter, 6%. Bianco tied Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa with 4% each.
That could change dramatically, however; 40% of voters were undecided and 6% said they don’t plan to vote.
With the primary election more than seven months away, there’s still time for candidates to impress the voters or, in some cases, to clear up misunderstandings.
On his next trip north, for example, Sheriff Bianco may want to pay another visit to the Central Coast to mend fences — if he can find it.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "A candidate for governor vows to fix California. For that, he’ll need a map | Opinion."
