Newsom Commutes Death Sentences of All 548 California Death Row Inmates

On November. 8, 2016, Californians voted NO on Proposition 62, which would have abolished the death penalty and replaced existing death sentences with life imprisonment without parole. Ten years later, Gov. Gavin Newsom has decided to take matters into his own hands.

On Thursday, November 5, Newsom announced that he would commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on California's death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The sweeping decision, made during his final months in office, affects some of the state's most notorious convicted murderers and has sparked outrage among the public, the victims' families, and prosecutors.

For families who spent years seeking justice, the horrible decision raises a troubling question: Should one governor's personal opposition to the death penalty outweigh the sentences handed down by juries, reviewed by the courts, and a death penalty system that California voters chose to retain in 2016? I do not think so at all.

BREAKING: Newsom just commuted the death sentence of every person on death row in the state of California to life in prison without parole https://t.co/3aCJX1jKnL

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 5, 2026

X account @End Wokeness also pointed out this disgusting decision by Gov. Newsom:

Here is a sample of the 548 people that just had their death penalty commuted by Gov. Newsom:
1. Charles Ng
Brutally murdered 11 people, including men, women, and infants
2. Randy Kraft
Brutally murdered at least 16 young men, torturing and dismembering victims
3. Marcus Wesson
Brutally murdered 9 family members, his children & nieces
4. Cary Stayner
Brutally murdered 4 women, including three sightseers near Yosemite, and beheaded a nature guide
5. Richard Allen Davis.
Brutally murdered 12-year-old Polly Klaas after kidnapping her from a sleepover
6. Chester Turner
Brutally murdered 10 women in LA
There are still 542 more

Rep. Nancy Mace had this to say:

Gavin Newsom just told the victim of every criminal on death row, their justice doesn't matter.
Unbelievably disgusting. Stop coddling criminals and start supporting victims.

X account @LetGrokCook had this to say in response: 

@EndWokeness https://t.co/zQ9XZ0QIjg

— John Smith (@LetGrokCook) November 5, 2026

X account @Nevadanfor pointed out this:

Congratulations California. Your tax dollars are supporting these people, who committed horrific crimes, until the day they die.

The death penalty remains one of America's most controversial issues. Opponents of the death penalty argue that the government should never have the power to take someone's life. On the other hand, supporters believe it is a necessary punishment for the most heinous crimes. 

I stand on the side of pro-death penalty side because some criminals committed such horrific crimes that I think they do not deserve any of our taxpayer funding to keep them alive. I believe that there are criminals that should be gone from this planet as soon as possible. I strongly disagree with Newsom's decision today, and so did many commentators online.

But regardless of where one stands, California voters already had their say. In 2016, 53.2% of voters rejected Proposition 62, which would have replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment without parole.

Now, a decade later, Newsom is attempting to make that change for 548 convicted criminals through his executive clemency powers, effectively sidelining the will of California voters. However, 382 of those commutations still require approval from the California Supreme Court. I very much hope the California Supreme Court declines to approve their commutations. 

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