Newsom Moves to Commute All 548 California Death Sentences

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he will commute every current death sentence in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole, covering 548 condemned inmates, according to CBS Sacramento and an announcement from the Governor’s office.

In an open letter quoted by CBS Sacramento, Newsom wrote that he is acting because he believes “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us.” He added, according to the same report, that “as Governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them,” while acknowledging that many Californians believe brutal killers deserve to die.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) says he will commute every current death sentence in California to life in prison without the possibility of parole. https://t.co/Lqi2gQ9d95

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 5, 2026

CBS Sacramento reported that the plan does not repeal California’s death penalty statute and does not stop prosecutors from seeking death sentences in future cases. Newsom said those charging decisions remain with prosecutors, juries and courts, the station reported.

California voters have repeatedly kept capital punishment on the books. Voters rejected Proposition 34 in 2012 and Proposition 62 in 2016, while narrowly approving Proposition 66 that year to speed death-penalty cases, CBS Sacramento noted. Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions after taking office in 2019, and the state last carried out an execution in 2006, according to that report.

Law.com’s The Recorder reported that Newsom’s decision throws a large clemency review to the California Supreme Court, which must weigh in on commutations for inmates with more than one felony conviction, and that the court is currently short a seventh justice. CBS Sacramento similarly reported that some cases require high-court approval under the state constitution before a governor can grant clemency.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer criticized the commutations, saying they override jury verdicts and devastate victims’ families, according to CBS Sacramento. Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo García praised the move as advancing human dignity, the station reported.

Among the condemned population is Richard Allen Davis, sentenced to death for the 1993 kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas — a case long cited in California sentencing debates — according to national coverage of Thursday’s announcement. Under Newsom’s plan, that death sentence would become life without parole if the commutation is finalized under state rules.

Life without parole is the most severe punishment Newsom said he can impose through clemency, CBS Sacramento reported. Whether every case converts now depends on California Supreme Court recommendations where required and on formal processing of the rest.

Sources

• CBS Sacramento — Newsom death-row commutations
• Governor of California — letter announcement (Nov. 5, 2026)
• Law.com The Recorder — Supreme Court review of mass commutation
• CBS News on X — Newsom will commute every current death sentence

Reporting by Daily Beltway.