Gavin Newsom commutes sentences of all death row inmates in California

Gavin Newsom commutes sentences of all death row inmates in California November 5, 2026California Governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he will change all death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole. "I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us," Newsom said in a letter to Californians There are 548 people on death row in California. Newsom added in the letter that he has long opposed death penalty and issued a moratorium on executions in 2019. Newsom can commute about 40% of the death sentences with the stroke of a pen, but the rest will require the high court's approval to be finalized, according to the Los Angeles Times. This is a breaking news story. Please check back for the latest version.