Statement on Governor Newsom's Announcement to Commute Death Sentences

Published on November 05, 2026

Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement that he intends to commute all 548 death sentences in California to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole is deeply troubling and disregards the will of the people, the judicial process, and the victims and families whose lives have been forever changed by these crimes.

California voters have considered the issue of capital punishment through five statewide ballot measures over the past five decades. They have repeatedly chosen to retain the death penalty as an option under California law, most recently in 2016, when voters rejected Proposition 62, which would have repealed it, and approved Proposition 66, which sought to expedite its implementation.

During his 2018 campaign for Governor, Newsom's campaign represented that he would respect the will of California voters and implement the law. Yet, shortly after taking office, he imposed a moratorium on executions through executive order. Today's announcement takes that a step further by seeking to commute every remaining death sentence in the state.

The Governor has constitutional authority to grant clemency. However, that authority carries an obligation to exercise sound judgment and consider the circumstances of each case. His own submission to the California Supreme Court acknowledges that he did not review the individual circumstances of the condemned individuals as part of this universal clemency decision.

Here in Fresno County, 11 individuals stand to have their death sentences commuted. These cases involve the murders of children, multiple victims, calculated acts of violence, and families who have spent decades seeking justice for their loved ones. Each case proceeded through the judicial system, with the evidence and circumstances considered and sentences imposed through that process.

These are not interchangeable cases, and their victims are not simply numbers on a list. The passage of time does not diminish the lives lost, the suffering of surviving families, or the importance of the decisions made in these courtrooms.

As elected officials, our responsibility is to uphold the laws of this state and respect the decisions made by the people we represent. Personal beliefs or political posturing should not supersede the will of the voters or the individualized judicial process.

The Fresno County District Attorney's Office will never stop fighting for justice, standing with victims and their families, and ensuring that their voices are not forgotten. Justice does not have an expiration date.

- District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp

Download this news release.(PDF, 201KB)