The article “Newsom Mulls Sparing Lives of All 563 Prisoners on Death Row in California” appeared in the New York Times October 7th, 2026, by Lauren Rosenhall, New York Times reporter.

In 2019, Governor Newsom said: “My ultimate goal is to end the death penalty in California.” Felony Murder Elimination Project urges him to move the state in that direction by commuting death sentences in California. Human rights must always come before politics.

Excerpts from the article appear below.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a possible presidential candidate, is seriously considering whether to spare the lives of all 563 prisoners on death row in California as one of his final acts in office, according to two people familiar with his thinking.

Mr. Newsom ramped up conversations with top advisers last week after a botched execution in Tennessee, though he had been deliberating the move for several months. He discussed his options in a flurry of phone calls, meetings and Zoom conversations, according to people familiar with the talks who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to disclose private deliberations.

California has not executed a prisoner in 20 years, and the leading candidate to succeed Mr. Newsom has committed to maintaining a moratorium on capital punishment. A mass commutation, however, would reduce all current death sentences to life in prison without parole, regardless of who runs the state in the future.

While other governors have ended death sentences en masse before, the move Mr. Newsom is considering would be the largest clearing of a death row in modern American history. In 2003, Gov. George Ryan of Illinois, a Republican, commuted death sentences for 167 inmates right before he left office.

Those urging Mr. Newsom to grant clemency have argued that it’s the right thing to do and that it could have a political upside. It may appeal to liberal Democrats in a presidential primary, and some proponents say that a moral act could demonstrate authenticity.

“What the voters are looking for now are leaders who are genuine, who act based on their values and who don’t act like typical politicians,” said Natasha Minsker, a California lawyer who has led efforts to end capital punishment for more than two decades. “He’s been absolutely clear that he is opposed to the death penalty, and acting based on that value, I think, shows that he means what he says and he follows through on his convictions.”

In 2024, Pope Francis praised Mr. Newsom when the governor visited the Vatican, according to Jason Elliott, who was a top aide to the governor at the time. Mr. Newsom approached the pope after waiting in a line of dignitaries, and as he stepped forward, the pope smiled and flashed him a thumbs-up.

Afterward, Mr. Elliott recalled, Mr. Newsom told his aides that Pope Francis knew about his moratorium on capital punishment in California and had greeted him as “death penalty man.”

“I could see that clearly moved him,” Mr. Elliott said.

Read the full article, “Newsom Mulls Sparing Lives of All 563 Prisoners on Death Row in California” available via gift link, in the New York Times.

Lauren Rosenhall is a a New York Times reporter covering California politics and government.