California governor to commute death row sentences to life without parole

Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will commute every current death sentence in California to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Newsom announced the decision Thursday in an open letter, saying he will use his constitutional clemency authority to commute the sentences of 548 people currently facing the death penalty.

“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote.

The move does not repeal California’s death penalty or prevent prosecutors from seeking it in future cases. Newsom said those decisions will remain with prosecutors, juries and courts.

“Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as Governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them,” Newsom wrote.

California voters, however, have repeatedly chosen to keep the death penalty.

Voters rejected Proposition 34, which would have abolished capital punishment, in 2012. Four years later, they again rejected repeal with Proposition 62 while narrowly approving Proposition 66, which sought to speed up death penalty cases.

Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions shortly after taking office in 2019. California last carried out an execution in 2006.

The decision drew sharply different reactions from California criminal justice officials.

Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo García praised the move, saying his office had called for universal clemency because of what he described as deep inequities in the death penalty system.

“Clemency is not leniency,” García said in a statement. “This decision moves California closer to a justice system that values human dignity.”

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer strongly criticized the commutations, saying they override verdicts reached by juries and undermine the wishes of crime victims’ families.

“The pursuit of justice does not bend to political whims, and I am heartbroken for the hundreds of families who must now grapple with the devastation of knowing that the monsters who harmed their loved ones are one step closer to being back out on our streets,” Spitzer stated.

Spitzer said his office will continue seeking the death penalty in cases where prosecutors believe it is warranted.

Under the commutations announced Thursday, every current death sentence would instead become life without parole, which Newsom called the most severe punishment he can impose through clemency.

Some cases will require review by the California Supreme Court because the state constitution requires court approval before a governor can grant clemency to someone convicted of more than one felony.