Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will commute every current death sentence in California to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a sweeping use of his constitutional clemency authority affecting 548 people now facing capital punishment.
Newsom laid out the decision in an open letter. "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," he wrote.
The commutations do not repeal California's death penalty, and they do not stop prosecutors from pursuing it in future cases. Newsom said those choices will stay in the hands of prosecutors, juries and courts.
Acknowledging the divide over capital punishment, Newsom wrote: "Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as Governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them."
California voters have repeatedly opted to preserve the death penalty. In 2012, they rejected Proposition 34, which would have abolished capital punishment. Four years later, voters again turned back a repeal effort in Proposition 62 while narrowly approving Proposition 66, a measure intended to speed up death penalty cases.
Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions shortly after taking office in 2019. California has not put anyone to death since 2006.
Under the plan announced Thursday, each existing death sentence would convert to life without parole, which Newsom described as the most severe punishment available to him through clemency.
Not every case can be resolved by the governor alone. The state constitution requires court approval before a governor can grant clemency to a person convicted of more than one felony, so some of the commutations will need review by the California Supreme Court.
