Nov. 7, 2026 6 AM PT

To the editor: California had the largest death row in the Americas and the most women on death row in the country. Embedded with racism and sexism, capital punishment is state-sanctioned killing, legitimated through dehumanization. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s historic decision to commute all of California’s death sentences is a critical step forward for humanity (“Newsom moves to commute all California death sentences to life in prison without parole,” Nov. 5).

Over the last month, the world witnessed the torture inflicted by the state of Tennessee as it attempted to execute Christa Pike, a traumatized survivor of childhood sexual abuse living with psychosocial disabilities. For women, capital trials are infected with sex-shaming, double standards and the minimization of gender-based violence. There is no just application of the death penalty.

Most of the world has abolished capital punishment because it has no place in any society. Newsom’s moral courage to seek commutation of California’s 548 death sentences is a first step and conveys that change, even in the most entrenched injustices, is possible.

Bahar Mirhosseni, Long Beach; Zoie Valencia, San Marcos
Mirhosseni is the director of legal advocacy and Valencia is a fellow at the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide.

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To the editor: I have been a public defender for almost 40 years, and I have represented clients charged with capital murder as well as clients in capital post-conviction proceedings. In the course of my career, I have spent countless hours with my clients and their family members and, in many cases, the family members of victims.

One thing stands out for me. No one, and I mean no one, is left unscathed by a death penalty prosecution. Every person who lives through a trial, an appeal, post-conviction proceedings and an execution if one takes place is damaged and harmed in ways that cannot be described.

As the governor acknowledged, there are many problems with the death penalty. Even if some of those problems were solved, the death penalty will continue to do harm.

Jennifer Friedman, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The voters in California decided on having death sentences for the most heinous of crimes and the governor has no right to change that. Why should public funds be used to support these criminals for the rest of their lives if that money could be used to combat poverty?

This is not how we have voted to have our tax dollars used.

Isabelle H. Meyer, Glendale

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To the editor: My gratitude and praise to Newsom for emptying California’s death row of 548 people sentenced to this clearly immoral punishment. I pray that the families of victims will achieve peace knowing that other families will not also suffer loss.

Jo’Ann De Quattro, Campbell, Calif.

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To the editor: The death penalty was originally meant to be a deterrent for some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. The average time spent on death row today is 23 years. It is no longer viewed as a deterrent.

Morality aside, the death penalty sentence itself is broken. If something in my house is broken or doesn’t work correctly, I either fix it or throw it away.

Derrik Van de Zande, Rancho Cucamonga

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To the editor: California’s own Donald Trump! They’re all the same, these people with power. They think they’re gods.

Case in point: President Trump granted clemency to all the Jan. 6 rioters; Newsom just commuted the sentences of all of California’s death row inmates. How dare he. I’d like to see him go to the families, friends and loved ones of murder victims and tell them, “I know you were told that heinous perpetrator would pay, and the death penalty was justice, but I, the great and powerful Newsom, just whitewashed your whole trial and verdict.”

Shame on you, governor.

David Weinberg, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: If punishment should fit the crime and someone puts out one of my eyes and knocks out one of my teeth, is it justice to do the same to him and let bygones be bygones? All capital punishment has ever done throughout history is send the message to society that it’s all right to kill someone as long as you think you have a good enough reason.

There are better ways. Other nations have proved it.

Ronald Webster, Long Beach