SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom is standing by his decision to take every person off California’s death row.
In an open letter released Nov. 5, Gov. Newsom defended commuting all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He called the system a failure that has convicted innocent people and has never been applied fairly. “As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact,” Gov. Newsom wrote.
The commutations do not free anyone or make anyone eligible for parole. California’s death penalty law is still on the books, and prosecutors can still seek it. But 382 of the commutations involve people convicted of more than one felony, and those need approval from the California Supreme Court.
The governor said he met with victims’ families, survivors, prison wardens, jurors, and faith and civil rights leaders before deciding, and he acknowledged that some families will see the move as justice denied.
Reaction has split along familiar lines. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen backed the decision, pointing to racial bias in who ends up sentenced to death. San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe opposed it. Among victims’ families, some objected, while others supported it, including Jess Nichol, stepsister of Polly Klaas, the 12-year-old Petaluma girl murdered in 1993.
For Black Californians, the question of who gets sentenced to death has never been abstract. The debate over who the system has treated unfairly is far from over.
California Black Media contributed to this report.
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