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Friday, November 6, 2026

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California · Friday, November 6, 2026

Newsom says he will commute every California death sentence

The File desk · Nov. 6, 2026, 6:32 a.m. ET

Partially confirmed3 primary sourcesAdded 6:32 a.m. ET, Nov. 6

Status

Partially confirmed. The governor's November 5, 2026 newsroom page says he plans to change every California death sentence to life in prison without parole. His letter says he has decided to commute those sentences. The clemency page says the commutations will not take effect until the legal steps are finished. This desk did not open a signed order or a corrections notice that any sentence has already changed.
  • Confirmed
    The newsroom page, the letter, and the clemency page say what this story quotes.
  • Partially confirmed
    The sentences have not been changed yet, on the clemency page's own words. No individual commutation order was opened.
Governor Gavin Newsom's office said on November 5, 2026, that he plans to change every California death sentence to life in prison without parole. His letter the same day says he has decided to commute those sentences. The state's clemency page says the change will not take effect until the legal steps are finished.123
The newsroom page says he "plans to change all California death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." The letter says: "I have decided to exercise my constitutional clemency authority to commute all California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole."12
The letter says 548 people are under a death sentence in California, and calls that the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere. It says he instituted a moratorium on executions on March 13, 2019. It says a de facto halt had already been in place since 2006.2
A commutation reduces a sentence a person is still serving. A pardon is a different act. The clemency page says a pardon "provides relief from punishment and restores some civic rights" for people who have finished their sentences. This letter is a commutation. The page says the people will remain in prison and are not eligible for release.3
The letter says the action does not repeal the death penalty, and that repealing it rests with the Legislature and the voters. The , the clemency page says, gives the governor the power to grant clemency, including commutations and pardons. The letter says that constitution also requires the state Supreme Court to review clemency for people twice convicted of a felony.23
Why it matters (Estimate). Estimate. People sentenced to death, the families of their victims, and the state Supreme Court are the ones in the next step. The governor has said he will issue the commutations, and his office says they are not in effect yet. Until those steps are finished, the sentences on the books are still death sentences.
The clemency page says, "The commutations will not go into effect until the necessary legal steps are completed." The letter says, "I will therefore issue the same commutation to every condemned person." This desk did not open that order.23
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.Governor of California newsroom, "Governor Newsom releases letter to California on the death penalty," dated Nov 5, 2026. "Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he plans to change all California death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/11/05/governor-newsom-releases-letter-to-california-on-the-death-penalty/
  2. 2.Governor Newsom's Open Letter Regarding Commutation of All Death Sentences, dated November 5, 2026. "I have decided to exercise my constitutional clemency authority to commute all California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole." "The 548 people now under sentence of death in California make up the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere." "on March 13, 2019, I instituted a moratorium on executions." "the de facto moratorium on executions in place since 2006." "I will therefore issue the same commutation to every condemned person—life without the possibility of parole." "These offenders will die in prison but not by our hand." "I recognize the limits of this clemency action, which does not repeal the death penalty and is limited to commuting California's current death sentences. The power to repeal the death penalty rests with the Legislature and voters." "California's Constitution requires the Supreme Court's review of clemency grants to those twice-convicted of a felony." The PDF is an image of the letter. Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET. https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/2026-11-5-26-GGN-Open-Letter-FINAL.pdf
  3. 3.Governor of California, Clemency. "The gives the Governor the authority to grant clemency, which includes commutations of sentence and pardons." "On November 5, 2026, Governor Newsom announced his decision to commute (change) every California death sentence to a sentence of life in prison without parole." "The offenders will remain in prison and are not eligible for release." "The commutations will not go into effect until the necessary legal steps are completed." "Commutation of sentence: The Governor can reduce the sentence of an individual serving a sentence in a California prison." "Pardon: A pardon provides relief from punishment and restores some civic rights for individuals who have been convicted of crimes in California and have completed their sentences." Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET. https://www.gov.ca.gov/clemency/

What is still unknown or disputed

  • Whether any individual commutation order has been signed. This desk did not open one.
  • A corrections-department notice that a sentence has changed. This desk did not open one.
  • The list of intended recipients linked from the clemency page. This desk did not open that list.
  • How many of the 548 people were twice convicted of a felony and therefore go to the state Supreme Court. The letter describes that review. It does not give the count.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    Governor Newsom releases letter to California on the death penalty

    Governor of California · November 5, 2026

    He "plans to change all California death sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET.

    https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/11/05/governor-newsom-releases-letter-to-california-on-the-death-penalty/

  2. Source 2

    Open letter on commutation of all death sentences

    Office of the Governor of California · November 5, 2026

    He has decided to commute all California death sentences to life without parole. The letter says 548 people are under a death sentence. Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET.

    https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/2026-11-5-26-GGN-Open-Letter-FINAL.pdf

  3. Source 3

    Clemency

    Governor of California · November 5, 2026

    The commutations "will not go into effect until the necessary legal steps are completed." A pardon is defined separately from a commutation. Retrieved 6:18 a.m. ET.

    https://www.gov.ca.gov/clemency/