Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is commuting the sentences of all 548 people on California’s death row, converting every one of those death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The action effectively ends capital punishment in California, years after Newsom first halted executions by executive order.
In a letter to constituents, Newsom called the state’s capital punishment system flawed, prone to error, and at odds with California’s values. “After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish,” he wrote. “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.”
California has not executed anyone since 2006. Shortly after taking office in 2019, Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions and ordered the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison dismantled. Thursday’s commutations go further, permanently removing the death penalty as an outcome for everyone currently sentenced to die in the state.
The announcement follows a botched execution in Tennessee involving death row inmate Christa Pike, which has reignited national debate over capital punishment.
Reaction from victims’ families
The decision drew sharp criticism from victims’ rights advocates, including Marc Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was kidnapped and murdered in 1993. Her killer, Richard Allen Davis, is among those affected by the commutation.
“He just gave the gift of life to [hundreds of] people who took the gift of life from their victims,” Klaas told Fox News Digital. “I don’t understand his rationale behind it… but it’s probably the same old tired stuff that he said when he did his moratorium.” He added: “He has definitely secured the serial killer vote now.”
Praise from death penalty opponents
Anti-death penalty advocates welcomed the move. Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to death row inmates, said in a statement reported by The Sacramento Bee: “The silence after the very breath of a human is violently wrestled out of them is deafening. I’ve heard it 14 times. Today, Governor Newsom has courageously chosen to break that silence. These commutations represent the height of moral leadership.”
“Cruelty laid down. Now, I’m left with one prayer: God, don’t let any of the governors in the other executing states get any sleep until they find the ethical stamina to follow Newsom’s lead.”
