Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he is commuting all 548 death sentences in California to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The sweeping decision means that every inmate currently on death row will now serve life in prison, though their convictions remain unchanged.
According to 10News, the action directly impacts San Diego, where 34 inmates were on death row. Among them is Jesse Michael Gomez, convicted in 2022 of killing San Diego police Officer Jonathan “J.D.” De Guzman and seriously wounding his partner. Gomez’s death sentence will be reduced to life without parole.
The San Diego Union‑Tribune noted that the list of San Diego‑sentenced inmates includes high‑profile cases such as Cleophus Prince, convicted of the 1990 serial killings of six women, and David Westerfield, who murdered 7‑year‑old Danielle van Dam in 2002. The most recent death‑row sentencing from the county was Gomez, marking the first death‑row conviction in San Diego since 2010.
District Attorney Summer Stephan called Newsom’s commutation decision “a devastating blow to the victims who suffered the loss of loved ones in some of the cruelest and most haunting ways.” She added that her office was not given an opportunity to provide input before the announcement.
San Diego Public Defender Paul Rodriguez said he agrees with the clemency decision but noted that it does not repeal the death penalty itself, stating, “I certainly wish it did.” Professor Justin Brooks of the University of San Diego School of Law said the news left him “overwhelmed with joy,” emphasizing that the criminal legal system makes too many mistakes to trust it with the ultimate punishment.
California has not carried out an execution since 2006. In 2019, Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions and closed San Quentin’s death‑row facility. The condemned inmates were later transferred to other prisons. The governor described the death penalty as “incompatible” with California’s values.
The California Supreme Court must review and approve the commutations before they take effect. Victims’ families have expressed mixed reactions; the San Diego Police Officers Association said the families “deserve better” after enduring “unimaginable suffering.”
What’s next: The California Supreme Court is expected to consider the commutations in the coming weeks. If approved, all 548 death‑row inmates, including the 34 from San Diego, will serve life without parole, ending the state’s death‑penalty era while leaving open the possibility of future legislative changes.
Sources: sandiegouniontribune.com, 10news.com
