Gov. Newsom commutes death sentences of 34 San Diego inmates

The day the state of California reached a historic turning point in its capital punishment policy, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the commutation of death sentences for 34 inmates from San Diego County, a move that is part of a sweeping blanket order affecting more than 500 condemned prisoners across the state.

California’s death‑row population has long been the largest in the United States. The state’s last execution occurred in 2006, and Newsom’s 2019 moratorium halted all executions while leaving the sentences themselves intact. In the week before the announcement, the governor released a list of 34 San Diego inmates who had been on death row for decades, some for crimes committed in the 1980s and 1990s. The list includes high‑profile cases such as the 1990 serial killings of six women by Cleophus Prince and the 2002 murder of seven‑year‑old Danielle van Dam by David Westerfield. The most recent San Diego death‑row inmate, Jesse Michael Gomez, was convicted of the 2016 murder of San Diego police Officer Jonathan “J.D.” De Guzman and was sentenced in 2022. The announcement came after the governor’s letter, which stated, “I take this action because I firmly believe that state‑sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.”

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Newsom’s decision follows a national conversation sparked by the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, which attracted global outrage and intensified calls for a nationwide pause on capital punishment. The governor’s letter, published on The Guardian, highlighted that the commutation order “ensures that they can never be executed under future state administrations.” The move, described by the San Diego Union‑Tribune, is the first time in California’s history that a governor has issued a blanket commutation covering every death‑row inmate.

The reaction from victims’ families and the broader public has been mixed. District Attorney Summer Stephan of San Diego County called the commutations a “devastating blow to the victims” and said her office had not been consulted. “We are researching any lawful remedies that would allow their voices to be heard and considered,” Stephan said. In contrast, the Public Defenders Association welcomed the decision, citing the disproportionate impact of the death penalty on Black and Latino defendants. The American Civil Liberties Union and prominent death‑penalty advocates such as Bryan Stevenson praised the move as a step toward a more humane justice system. Some critics, however, have warned that the blanket approach may erase the particular circumstances of each case and could be challenged in court.

Newsom’s action is widely seen as a political statement as well as a legal one.

Nonetheless, a small number of cases may be challenged by victims’ families or by state prosecutors.

For the inmates, the change means life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The orders do not alter the convictions themselves; the inmates will continue to serve the remainder of their sentences, now under a different label.

Below is a concise timeline of the key events surrounding California’s death‑penalty policy and Newsom’s commutation order.

• 2006 – Last execution carried out in California.
• 2019 – Gov. Newsom issues an indefinite moratorium on executions.
• 2026‑Nov‑05 – Gov. Newsom announces blanket commutation of all death sentences, including 34 San Diego inmates.

For now, the 548 inmates who once faced execution will serve the rest of their lives in prison, their sentences transformed into the longest possible term without parole.