California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Nov. 5, 2026, that he will commute all 548 of the state’s death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole — a sweeping use of gubernatorial clemency that does not release anyone from custody and leaves hundreds of cases subject to California Supreme Court review.
In an open letter to Californians, Newsom said “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.” The Associated Press, CalMatters, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post reported the announcement as still developing into Nov. 6. Official materials from the governor’s office confirmed the same core numbers and legal framing.
What Newsom announced
According to the governor’s office and multiple news outlets, the action covers 548 people currently under sentence of death — 529 men and 19 women. Sentences would change from death to life without parole. Convictions and restitution orders are not vacated. Newsom’s fact sheet states the individuals remain incarcerated, are not being pardoned, and are specifically excluded from new Board of Parole Hearings commutation and resentencing regulations aimed at other populations.
“These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand,” Newsom wrote, according to CalMatters’ report of his letter. He described the choice as among the most difficult of his career, saying he considered commuting only some cases but concluded that drawing lines among crimes would create “two classes of murder victims.”
Why many cases still need the California Supreme Court
California’s constitution gives the governor broad clemency power, but it also requires Supreme Court involvement for people convicted of more than one felony. Coverage from AP and CalMatters says roughly 382 people (about 70%) fall in that category, so four of seven justices must approve those commutations. The remainder — roughly 40% by some early tallies cited in reporting — can proceed under the governor’s pen alone. The governor’s office said it submitted the required materials to the court.
Victims’ rights groups signaled legal and political pushback. Anne Marie Schubert of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation told CalMatters her organization would challenge the proposed commutations, arguing families were not properly notified. Crime Victims United president Topo Padilla said no official should undo a jury-and-judge sentence based on personal beliefs. Separately, some survivors have publicly supported ending executions; CalMatters quoted Polly Klaas’s sister Jess Nichol saying execution does not aid survivors’ healing.
Context: a long pause, then a mass commutation
California has not carried out an execution since January 17, 2006. In 2019, Newsom imposed a moratorium, withdrew the lethal-injection protocol, and closed San Quentin’s death chamber. Death-row housing was later dispersed across the prison system. Nationally, capital punishment remains contested: many voters still favor it in polls reported by national outlets, while support has declined in California politics relative to earlier ballot fights.
Several outlets noted the timing as Newsom nears the end of his term and as coverage discusses a possible presidential run. Those references are reported as political context; this article does not argue for or against any candidacy.
What’s next
Watch for California Supreme Court action on the multi-felony cases, any litigation from victims’ advocates, and how prosecutors and the incoming governor frame continuity of the execution moratorium. The Death Penalty Information Center, cited by CalMatters, has described the scale of the action as among the largest mass clemency moves in U.S. history — even while emphasizing that life without parole keeps people incarcerated.
Sources
- Associated Press — Newsom says he will commute all California death sentences to life without parole
- CalMatters — Newsom seeks to clear death row, commutes sentences for hundreds
- Los Angeles Times — Newsom move to commute California death sentences
- The Washington Post — Newsom begins commuting California death-row sentences
- Office of Governor Gavin Newsom — letter and announcement
- Governor’s office fact sheet on California commutations (PDF)
- X trending topic — California death-row commutations
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