OPINION – Governor Newsom just did something that most politicians spend their whole careers talking around: he took a historic step towards ending California’s harmful death penalty by commuting every death sentence to life without parole. I want to say this plainly, as a member of the Legislature and as someone from a younger generation that is tired of political theater: this was courageous leadership. And it was also practical.
California’s death penalty has been a zombie policy for a long time. It’s been in our laws, and on our books, and in campaign mailers, but in reality, it has been defined by delay, dysfunction, and waste. It’s been sold as “closure,” but it has often produced decades of waiting and retraumatization for victims’ families. It’s been sold as “deterrence,” but there is no credible evidence it prevents violence. It’s been sold as “justice,” but it has always been marked by unfairness, with death sentences depending on where a person is prosecuted, the resources available for a defense, and the race of the defendant and the victim.
Governor Newsom has been consistent about his views of the death penalty from the beginning. In 2019, he put a moratorium on executions because he understood what many Californians already knew: we cannot build a humane, equal justice system on top of a punishment that is irreversible and so unevenly applied. He then took additional steps that signaled California was moving away from the death penalty. This commutation decision completes that arc.
I know there will be critics who try to turn this into a cheap “tough on crime” talking point. That’s what we see in Trump-style politics: play the strongman, say the harshest thing you can say, and then call that “public safety.” But public safety is not a vibe. Its outcomes. Over the past several years, California has invested heavily in mental health treatment, violence prevention, and services for victims. Those investments don’t make headlines the way executions do, but they are far more effective at keeping people safe. California now has the lowest homicide rate in more than 50 years.
The financial reality matters here too. California has spent billions of dollars maintaining the death penalty system while carrying out very few executions. Every dollar spent defending a broken system was a dollar not spent on counseling for victims, assistance for families, or prevention programs that can stop harm before it happens.
I also want to speak directly as someone from Gen Z. I and my peers grew up watching institutions lose credibility in real time. We saw our government fail to prevent predictable crises, from gun violence to housing costs to public health. We also watched some leaders respond by doubling down on division and punishment, because it’s politically easier than doing the hard work to find solutions. That playbook has never impressed us. Governor Newsom’s sensible actions on the death penalty, on the other hand, speak to the moral clarity and evidence-based problem solving my generation wants from our leaders. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, support for the death penalty hit the lowest levels in five decades, with diminishing support driven by younger Americans.
There is also a national context here that we shouldn’t ignore. There are a few loud voices across the country pushing for more executions and fewer safeguards, as if that will magically create safety. We have an opportunity to send a different message. The whole nation watches what happens in California, especially on issues that are politically charged and legally complex. When California changes course in a meaningful way, it reshapes what feels possible elsewhere.
This decision is also consistent with who Governor Newsom has been as a leader. Long before it was widely accepted, he stood up for marriage equality and helped push California toward recognizing the dignity of LGBTQ couples. He didn’t do that because it was easy or because it came with guarantees. He did it because it was right, and because leadership sometimes means moving first.
Governor Newsom has shown, again and again, that being bold and doing what is right has not held California back. It has strengthened the state, expanded rights, and helped move the country forward. His decision to commute death sentences belongs in that tradition.
When faced with a justice system that was costly, ineffective, and fundamentally flawed, Governor Newsom chose to act. That kind of leadership matters. And it is why this decision deserves recognition and support.
Assemblymember Sade Elhawary represents the 57th Assembly District.