No executions on Newsom’s watch New governor declares a moratorium on death penalty by LaureL rosenhaLL
C A L M a t t e rs
A leading supporter of the death penalty Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order said Newsom’s action is legal but “contrary to last week putting a moratorium on the death basic democratic principles.” penalty in California and shuttering the execu“The decision of whether we will have the tion chamber at San Quentin, a move that death penalty or not is one the people have overrides a decision the state’s voters made in made over and over again through the initiative 2016 to maintain capital punishment. process,” said Kent Scheidegger, legal director While campaigning for governor last year, of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, Newsom said he was fervently opposed to the which advocates for capital punishment. death penalty but didn’t “want to get ahead of GOP Assemblyman Tom Lackey of the will of the voters” and wanted to “give the Palmdale said Republicans were looking for voters a chance to reconsider.” a way to reverse Newsom’s action but hadn’t On March 13, he said he changed his yet figured out how. He criticized Newsom for mind because his decision whether to permit changing his position from the campaign but executions had become more urgent and less ruled out an effort to launch a recall. abstract. The state’s lethal injection protocol It appears Californians may yet have was getting closer to being finalized and another chance to weigh in. two dozen death row inmates had Democratic Assemblyman exhausted their appeals. Marc Levine of San Rafael “I cannot sign off on has introduced a measure executing hundreds and that would, if approved hundreds of human by two-thirds of the beings,” Newsom said Legislature, put the at a Capitol press question on the ballot conference. in 2020. He said having Under the governor’s a governor campaign reprieve, all 737 people against the death penalty on death row will remain could make the difference in prison and, on paper, in convincing voters to sentenced to death. But Gov. Gavin Newsom repeal it. executions will be halted as Death penalty opponents long as Newsom remains goverurged Jerry Brown to grant a nor. A future governor would have reprieve when he was governor, but the power to change their fate. he never did, despite his personal opposition to Newsom’s executive order argues that the capital punishment. They have been lobbying death penalty is unfair, applied disproportionNewsom to do the same since he was sworn-in ately to people of color and people with mental in January. disabilities. It says innocent people have been Now they have their sights set on the next sentenced to die, including five Californians goal, said longtime anti-death penalty advocate since 1973 who were found to have been Natasha Minsker: “The next step would be to wrongfully convicted. go further and convert death sentences to life His move is part of a larger swing in without parole.” Ω California away from tough-on-crime policies. But the death penalty so far has been politically untouchable—repeatedly favored by voters despite their progressive tendencies on other issues. In 2016, California voters passed a ballot measure to expedite executions and CALMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture defeated a measure to end the death penalty. explaining California policies and politics. An unabridged version Voters also defeated a 2012 measure to end the of this story is available at newsreview.com/sacramento. death penalty.
“I cannot sign off on executing hundreds and hundreds of human beings.”
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