California Gov. Gavin Newsom Commutes 548 Death Sentences 

Outgoing California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday that he’s commuting the death sentences of all 548 people incarcerated in the state’s death row.

The New York Times reports that Newsom reduced every death sentence to life without parole. This was a move Newsom had been mulling for a while, with the botched execution of Christa Pike playing a role in intensifying his desire to commute the sentences. 

“State-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote in an open letter to California residents. “I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.”

While Newsom isn’t the first outgoing governor to commute an entire death row, this mass commutation is the largest in American history. California hasn’t executed anyone in 20 years because of a moratorium on the practice, and Governor-elect Xavier Becerra pledged to maintain it. 

California has more people on death row than any other state, with Newsom’s commutation canceling a fourth of the nation’s death sentences. In his letter, Newsom said he struggled with the decision “not because I doubt its necessity for our state but because I know its announcement may surface excruciating memories for victims’ families.”

Indeed, several family members of people killed by someone on California’s death row have spoken out against Newsom’s decision. Marc Klaas, the father of Polly Klaas, a 12-year-old girl who was kidnapped and murdered, was angered by the commutation. 

“We’re talking about serial killers, spree killers, cop killers, baby killers,” Klaas told The Times. “We’re talking about absolutely the worst people in our society, without a doubt. And he’s putting his energy into commuting these characters?”

“It regurgitates the horrible emotions,” Klaas added. “It just leaves me feeling raw and angry.”

Anne Marie Schubert, a former Sacramento district attorney, sent Newsom a letter that included pictures of people killed by those on death row and detailed descriptions of how they died. Schubert said she spoke with the families of those victims before sending the letter. 

“These are people that have suffered unimaginable losses and were given some sense of finality through the justice system,” Schubert said in an interview before Newsom’s commutation. “That is all being reopened and rehashed.”

The commutation isn’t expected to go down without a challenge. Groups in favor of the death penalty are expected to file a lawsuit against the move, claiming that commutations must be made on a case-by-case basis. Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett spoke out against the move in an interview with KRCR.

“I completely disagree with it,” Bridgett told the outlet. “Gov. Gavin Newsom has chosen his own ambition, his own opinions, over what the voters have clearly said at multiple elections.”

Conversely, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has come out in support of Newsom’s decision. 

“These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long,” ACLU executive director Anthony Romero said in a statement. “By taking this step, Gov. Newsom has affirmed that the death penalty has no place in California and he showed real courage by confronting racialized injustice head-on.”

As mentioned earlier, Newsom is leaving office at the end of the year and is currently mulling a campaign for president. While some have argued that this move could hurt Newsom with voters, Democratic pollster Celinda Lake argues that this will help Newsom with Democrats and Black voters who are historically against the death penalty. 

“The chattering class will say this makes you vulnerable,” Lake told The Times. “But I think that sounds like old establishment arguments.”

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