Where California’s Next Governor Stands On Death Penalty
Summary
California Governor Gavin Newsom plans to change the sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row to life in prison without parole. Incoming Governor Xavier Becerra has previously sought the death penalty in a murder case, though the article does not establish his broader position on capital punishment.Key Facts
- Newsom announced his plan on November 5.
- The sentence changes would not release anyone early, make them eligible for parole, alter their convictions, or change restitution orders.
- Newsom’s 2019 executive order placed a moratorium on executions; California has not executed anyone since January 2006.
- In 2017, then-Attorney General Becerra said he would seek the death penalty against Scott DeKraai, who admitted killing eight people and trying to kill a ninth in a 2011 shooting.
- California voters rejected Proposition 34 in 2012 and Proposition 62 in 2016, both of which proposed replacing the death penalty with life without parole.
- A 2026 Pew Research Center survey found that 66 percent of U.S. adults favored the death penalty for people convicted of murder, while 32 percent opposed it.
- In that survey, 59 percent said they did not believe the death penalty deterred serious crime.
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