California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to change the death sentences of 548 prisoners to life in prison without the chance of parole. The decision marks a major step in his long effort to end capital punishment in the state. However, hundreds of the proposed sentence changes still require approval from the California Supreme Court.
Newsom announced the plan on Thursday through a public letter. He said the death penalty goes against California’s values and weakens the justice system. He also argued that the government should not have the power to kill people in the name of justice.
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values,” Newsom wrote. He said capital punishment also damages the foundations of the legal system.
The plan covers 548 people currently held on California’s death row. Figures from the governor’s office show that 529 are men and 19 are women. If the requests are approved, their death sentences will become life terms without the possibility of release.
However, state law places limits on the governor’s clemency powers. The California constitution requires the state Supreme Court to approve clemency for people who have been convicted of a felony more than once.
This rule affects 382 prisoners included in Newsom’s plan. That is about 70% of the total number of people covered by the announcement. The governor has sent a formal request to the court asking the justices to approve those sentence changes.
The Death Penalty Information Center said the action would be the largest mass clemency move in American history. If every request receives approval, the number of people on death row across the United States would fall by nearly 30%.
Newsom’s announcement comes as he prepares to leave office after eight years as California governor. The Democrat has opposed the death penalty for years. In 2019, he introduced a moratorium that stopped executions in the state.
California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Despite this long pause, it has the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere.
Newsom described the latest decision as one of the most difficult choices of his career. He said he had come to understand the limits of what the government could fairly achieve through punishment.
The governor also recognized that his decision could cause fresh pain for families of crime victims. He said he accepted full responsibility for the action and its effects. He added that he would have carried the same responsibility for every execution carried out under his authority.
California voters have previously supported keeping capital punishment. They rejected efforts to abolish the death penalty in ballot measures in 2012 and 2016. Across the United States, public views remain divided. Nearly half of the states have banned executions, while others continue to use lethal injections.
Several well-known convicted killers are among those on California’s death row. Richard Allen Davis was sentenced to death for kidnapping and murdering 12-year-old Polly Klaas in 1993. Randy Kraft, known as the Scorecard Killer, also received a death sentence after a series of murders during the 1970s and 1980s.
Other high-profile prisoners, including Scott Peterson and members of the Manson family, received death sentences that were later changed to life in prison.
Jess Nichol, the sister of Polly Klaas, said her views on the death penalty had changed over time. She once believed Davis deserved execution. However, she now questions whether putting a prisoner to death helps victims’ families recover.
Nichol said the justice system often tells survivors that executions will help them heal. She argued that this message distracts from the support families need after losing loved ones.
The American Civil Liberties Union welcomed Newsom’s decision. The group has long argued that capital punishment is affected by racial bias and carries a risk of wrongful convictions.
ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the commutations were an important step toward ending a punishment he described as unfair and inhumane. The organization is also involved in a legal challenge against California’s death penalty law. It argues that the system is racially discriminatory and violates the constitution.
However, the announcement received strong criticism from victims’ groups and prosecutors. Patricia Wenskunas, founder of the Crime Survivors organization, said she was deeply upset by the decision. Her group has opposed efforts to abolish capital punishment.
Steve Herr, whose son Sam Herr was murdered alongside Julie Kibuishi in 2010, also condemned the move. Daniel Wozniak was convicted of the killings. Herr said he believed the execution of his son’s killer would have brought closure to the family.
The California District Attorneys Association also criticized Newsom. Its president, Jeannine M. Pacioni, said the governor had ignored the decisions made by juries and judges. She also argued that victims’ families had not been given a choice.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow called the move an abuse of power. He referred to the murders of Rachel Newhouse, Aundria Crawford and Kesha Gurke. Dow said their families had waited for decades for the state to carry out the death sentences.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer also opposed the decision, arguing that it was unfair to victims and their relatives.
Other Democratic governors have taken similar steps. Oregon Governor Kate Brown changed death sentences in 2022, while Colorado Governor Jared Polis did so in 2020. In 2024, former President Joe Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
Xavier Becerra, who is expected to replace Newsom in January, has said he will continue California’s moratorium on executions. The final outcome of the current plan will depend on the state Supreme Court’s review of the cases that require its approval.
