California death row sentences to be commuted to life without parole, Newsom says
Updated on: November 5, 2026 / 6:16 PM PST / CBS Sacramento
TL;DR
- Governor Gavin Newsom will commute all 548 current death sentences in California to life without parole.
- Newsom believes state-sanctioned killing is morally wrong and incompatible with California's values.
- The action does not repeal California's death penalty or prevent prosecutors from seeking it in future cases.
- California voters have previously rejected abolishing the death penalty.
- The decision has been praised by some public defenders for addressing inequities and criticized by some district attorneys for overriding jury verdicts and impacting victims' families.
- Some cases may require California Supreme Court review for clemency approval.
- Newsom previously imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019; the last execution in California was in 2006.