California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reportedly considering commuting the sentences of the state's 563 death row inmates to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement officials and victim advocacy groups. In his final weeks in office, the Democrat faces growing pressure over a decision that opponents say would undermine justice for victims of violent crime.
Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was kidnapped and murdered in 1993 at age 12, told Fox News Digital that « Baby killers, cop killers, spree killers, and serial killers have all found an ally in Gavin Newsom. » Klaas said families had worked within the legal system, attending trials and waiting for decades through appeal after unsuccessful appeal. He said a blanket commutation would deny families the justice recommended by juries and imposed by judges. Richard Allen Davis, the man convicted of killing his daughter, remains on death row.
Newsom placed a moratorium on executions only two months after taking office and dismantled the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison. California has not executed an inmate since 2006. A spokesperson for the governor said he « has been clear about his position on the death penalty since his first year in office » and that « he believes the intentional killing of another person is wrong. »
The debate has been fueled in part by Tennessee's botched execution of Christa Pike, who survived two doses of the execution drug pentobarbital on Sept. 30 and is back in prison, according to reporting by The New York Times. Speaking on his podcast « This is Gavin Newsom, » the governor said he had to prepare for his own conscience, his « rocking chair test. » Klaas recalled confronting Newsom directly, saying the governor told him he did not want to be the person who executes an innocent man, nor the one executing 30 people a month.
California voters have repeatedly backed capital punishment. In 2016, they rejected Proposition 62, which sought to repeal the death penalty, and narrowly approved Proposition 66 to speed up the appeals process. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes called a blanket commutation « a second major affront » to voters' decision on the death penalty. In a letter to Newsom, San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow warned that such a step would be a « slap in the face » to murder victims and their surviving families, arguing that justice depends on the facts of each case.
Klaas urged the governor to focus on issues he said affect everyday residents, including homelessness and some of the highest utility and gas rates in the country. The governor's office has not announced a decision on any commutations.