Gavin Newsom: “By every measure, California’s system for administering the death penalty is a failure.”

The people sentenced to death in California caused indescribable suffering to victims, their families, communities, and our state as a whole … many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as governor, I…

It has not been and cannot be fairly applied and has resulted in the conviction of innocent people.

Because the death penalty is inherently incompatible with our legal system's commitment to justice, I have determined that this clemency decision, while difficult in many respects, will ultimately affirm the strength and integrity of our…

Faithfulness to our values is measured by how we act when it is most difficult to uphold them. For me, this is one of those instances … Today, I’m acting on my long and deeply held conviction that individually and collectively we are…