California prosecutors criticize Newsom's commutation of 548 death row sentences
District attorneys and police unions say the governor's decision ignores victims' families, while Newsom argues state killing conflicts with California's values.
Latest · Nov 7 Prosecutors and police unions now criticize the commutation of 548 death sentences, saying it ignores victims' families; Newsom argues state killing conflicts with California's values.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he is commuting the sentences of 548 death row inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole. District attorneys and law enforcement unions across California have publicly condemned the move, and one prosecutor called it a slap in the face to victims' families. Anti-death penalty advocates have praised the decision. In an open letter, Newsom wrote that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values and undermines the legal system. He has said he issued an executive moratorium on capital punishment when he took office in 2019, and California has not carried out an execution since 2006. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said the decision was about politics. San Diego Police Officers Association president Lt. Jared Wilson called it awful, citing the case of Jesse Michael Gomez, sentenced to death for the 2016 murder of San Diego police officer Jonathan "J.D." De Guzman. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that voters twice rejected ballot measures to abolish the death penalty. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said 127 of the inmates were sentenced for crimes committed in his county.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called the commutations mercy for the wolves. Hochman said his office will continue to evaluate death penalty-eligible cases until the law changes.
Key points
- Newsom commuted 548 death row sentences to life without parole
- Prosecutors and police unions strongly object, citing victims' families
- California has not carried out an execution since 2006
- Voters have twice rejected ballot measures to abolish the death penalty
Read the original reporting (1)
Earlier coverage
- Newsom commutes all 548 California death sentences to life without parole
California Governor Gavin Newsom has commuted the sentences of all 548 people on the state's death row. Each sentence has been reduced to life without parole. The move was reported by the BBC and ABC15 Arizona.
California has historically had the largest population of people on death row in the U.S. The change removes the death penalty from every case on the state's death row.
Why it mattered: California has the largest death row in the country, so this change affects more people than any other state action on capital punishment. It may influence national debate over the death penalty and how other states handle their death rows.
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