Chad Bianco reveals his California sports vision: Saving the LA Olympics and trans athlete crisis consequences

Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is a Republican frontrunner in the race for California's next governor, spoke to Fox News Digital about the state's biggest sports issues.

A lifelong New York Yankees fan is asking the people of California to make him their next governor. 

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who grew up in the heyday of the 1970-80s Yankees-Dodgers rivalry, admitted he had mixed emotions when Shohei Ohtani and company beat his childhood team in the 2024 World Series. 

"I did [celebrate]. I was sad because I wanted the Yankees to win, but at the time, as a baseball fan, I also noticed the Dodgers were a better team. The Dodgers deserved to win, and I was very happy to be from the Los Angeles area," Bianco told Fox News Digital. 

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Around that same time, Bianco watched one of his Republican colleagues, and a staple in the 70s-80s Dodgers-Yankees rivalry, former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, make a run at a U.S. Senate seat in California. Bianco campaigned with Garvey. But Garvey came up well short against Democrat incumbent Adam Schiff that year.

Now, Bianco, who is currently a frontrunner for the California governorship in many 2026 polls, believes that two years of Democratic leadership since Garvey's failed run has only strengthened the case for voting Republican in the Golden State.

"We're in a little bit worse off scenario than we were in 2024," Bianco said. "Californians are realizing that politics are corrupt, our state government is corrupt, and crime is really out of control." 

And sports haven't been spared any concerns in the state.

With the Winter Olympics now over, and the Summer Olympics coming to Los Angeles just over two years from now, anxiety has