Newsom Spares 548 Condemned Killers, Drawing Furious Response From Victims' Families
Andrew Powell · Nov 6, 2026 · 2 min read
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is commuting the death sentences of 548 inmates, a sweeping decision that will spare every person currently on the state's death row from execution.
The Democratic governor said the state's capital punishment system is fundamentally flawed and incompatible with California's values, according to Fox News.
Under his executive action, the inmates will instead serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.
In a letter to constituents, Newsom defended the decision by questioning the government's authority to carry out executions.
"After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish," Newsom wrote. He added that state-sanctioned executions undermine the legal system and diminish society.
The announcement formalizes a position Newsom has held since shortly after taking office in 2019, when he imposed a moratorium on executions and ordered the dismantling of the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison.
California has not executed an inmate since 2006.
The decision immediately drew 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, remains among the inmates on death row who will have their sentences commuted.
Klaas expressed outrage over Newsom's announcement in an interview with Fox News Digital.
"He just gave the gift of life to [hundreds of] people who took the gift of life from their victims," Klaas said. He also questioned the governor's reasoning, adding sarcastically, "He has definitely secured the serial killer vote now."
Other law enforcement officials also condemned the move. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow accused Newsom of disregarding the wishes of victims' families and the juries that originally handed down the death sentences.
The announcement received a very different response from death penalty opponents. Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to death row inmates, praised Newsom's decision as an act of moral leadership.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman offered a legal qualification, noting that the governor's action does not abolish capital punishment in California. Only the Legislature or voters can eliminate it.
California voters previously rejected Proposition 62, an initiative to repeal the death penalty, in 2016. They also narrowly approved Proposition 66 that same year, which sought to speed up death penalty appeals.