# Newsom Commutes the Death Sentences of All 548 California Inmates on Death Row, and District Attorneys and a Victim's Father Push Back, Fox News Reports

Fox News says the governor turned every death sentence into life without parole, calling state killing incompatible with California values. Prosecutors say only the Legislature or voters can end the death penalty. Opponents of capital punishment praised the move.

- Section: [Politics](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/politics/)
- Published: 2026-11-05
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/newsom-commutes-all-548-california-death-sentences-life-without-parole-hochman-dow-marc-klaas-fox-news/

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 inmates on the state's death row, Fox News reports.

What he did. Under the order, every death sentence becomes life in prison without the possibility of parole. In a letter to constituents, Newsom called the capital punishment system flawed and error-prone. He wrote, "After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish." He added, "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."

The history. Fox says California has not carried out an execution since 2006. Newsom put a moratorium on executions soon after taking office in 2019 and ordered the execution chamber at San Quentin dismantled. Fox says the timing follows a botched execution in Tennessee involving inmate Christa Pike, which has renewed the national debate.

The pushback. Marc Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped and murdered in 1993, told Fox News Digital, "He just gave the gift of life to [hundreds of] people who took the gift of life from their victims." He added, "He has definitely secured the serial killer vote now." Polly's killer, Richard Allen Davis, remains on death row. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said, "Juries chose justice case by case, voters chose it five times, and one outgoing governor tried to erase it all with a pen."

The legal point. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that the order does not abolish the death penalty. "Only the Legislature or the voters can do that," he said. He said Californians twice rejected ballot measures to abolish it, and his office will keep evaluating every death-penalty-eligible case. Fox notes that in 2016 voters rejected Proposition 62, a repeal, and narrowly passed Proposition 66, which speeds up appeals.

The other side. Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual adviser to death row inmates, called the commutations "the height of moral leadership," in a statement the Sacramento Bee reported.

Why it matters here. The order is the largest single act of its kind for the state, and it hands critics of the governor a high-profile example as Democrats take more power nationally. Fox does not say whether any court challenge is planned.

What we could not check. We did not see Newsom's letter or the order itself. Fox quotes critics at length and does not include a response from the governor to them.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gavin-newsom-wipes-out-californias-death-row-historic-mass-commutation)