California’s death row fight just got a lot louder. After Gov. Gavin Newsom moved to commute all 548 death sentences in the state, a growing number of district attorneys blasted the decision as a gut punch to juries, victims’ families and the voters who have repeatedly backed capital punishment at the ballot box.
Newsom says state-run executions clash with California’s values, and his office frames the action as a commutation rather than an end to the death penalty itself. Even so, prosecutors across the state see the move as a sweeping reset that sidesteps hundreds of cases that each went through trials, appeals and long fights over justice.
At least a dozen district attorneys are now saying the governor went too far. Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho called for case-by-case review, not a one-size-fits-all order, while others argued that the decision sends a message that juries no longer matter when the politics get hot.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer came out swinging, saying the action amounts to “mercy for the wolves” and “the ultimate act of cruelty on the sheep.” His warning was not just emotional bluster, either. He pointed to recent parole-rule changes and argued that reducing death sentences could become one more step in a broader push that weakens punishment for the worst crimes.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson took direct aim at Newsom’s motives, saying the governor was trying to look bold while chasing political points. Anderson also said real courage would mean talking to victims’ families first, not announcing a massive policy shift from the top and expecting everyone else to deal with the fallout.
The legal and moral objections are tightly linked in this fight. Prosecutors say every one of these cases involved juries hearing the evidence, weighing aggravating factors and returning verdicts after a full process, with judges and appellate courts later checking the work. In their view, a blanket commutation wipes away those individual judgments in one sweep and treats them like paperwork instead of people’s lives.
That point hits especially hard in cases that still carry raw grief. Anderson cited the Kevin Cooper case and said Newsom had not reached out to Josh Ryen or to Mary Ann Hughes, the mother of one of the victims, before acting on the broader commutation plan. He also said he was unaware of any victims’ relatives receiving advance notice from the governor’s office.
Prosecutors are also tying the fight to California’s own constitution and Marsy’s Law, which was designed to protect victims’ rights. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said a single order commuting all of them would erase hundreds of distinct decisions without even looking closely at one, while San Joaquin District Attorney Ron Freitas said it insults the people who served on juries and lived with the horror of those cases.
The political side of the issue is just as explosive. Prosecutors argued that California voters have repeatedly rejected efforts to abolish the death penalty, including in 2012 and 2016, while also approving Proposition 66 in 2016 to speed up the process for handling death sentences. From their perspective, Newsom’s move does an end run around those ballot results without asking voters for permission.
That is why some district attorneys are already talking about court challenges or other legal options. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said her office is looking at lawful remedies to make sure victims are heard, and Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer made clear she expects a fight, calling the move an assault on justice that will be challenged.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman added a narrower point, acknowledging that the governor can commute existing sentences but saying that power does not stretch to wiping out the death penalty itself. Newsom’s announcement says the order does not repeal capital punishment, but the backlash shows the fight is about more than legal wording, since prosecutors see it as a direct clash over who gets the final say in the hardest cases California has.
3 Comments
Hear from the Victims OK all involved since day 1
He’s trying to use this to become President. He really needs to “straighten up and fly right”. Not bad enough, he went out to eat when many were forced to eat at home, just using his “governor’s privilege” to avoid being a normal citizen, but now he has decided those who commit murder do not deserve to die, though it is state-ordered.
Not really what California deserved in our Governor’s mansion.
Governor Newsom just wants chaos in California, like all the other communists, socialists, and DSA types. He thinks this will get him elected to higher office (president?). For those reading this, usually under the age of 50, a review of communist/socialist governments need to be done. The radical left creates chaos in a country to bring down the elected government so they can take over. At this point they then institute a “reign of terror” on those that oppose them. First they identify them, arrest them and finally KILL them. I submit Communist Russia, Nazi Germany (very little difference between at the citizen level between Nazism and Communist), Red China, North Korea and many of the deposed communist regimes in eastern Europe. Then after they have established their rule and eliminated their vocal enemies, they start creating “camps” usually called “Gulags” in Russia and “Concentration Camps” in Nazi Germany. Run afoul of “their” law and you get sent to the camps to either “reeducate you” or if they see your expertise as needed to punish you for how ever long they think you need. Common criminals are often just “eliminated”. For those of a “religious nature” actually practicing your belief is enough to get you sent to the camps (reference the Ughers in Red China).
Because of the freedoms we have enjoyed here in America many citizens do not believe this and suppose this type of rule is better. But this is a warning to you. If you fail to protect this country from this type of government you WILL pay a price that you will not believe at this time! At 76 years old I don’t expect to live much longer if they take over so this is directed to my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and all others that have not really had to face people like this.