California Prosecutors Say They Will Continue Seeking Death Sentences After Newsom’s Commutations

Where Left and Right agree, and where they split

Where Left and Right agree

Newsom's commutations leave California's death penalty statute intact, meaning prosecutors can still seek new death sentences and refill death row if future governors don't intervene.

Where Left and Right split

The left and the right split on whether mass clemency ends executions or just overrides the law.

Why they won’t converge

The divide is one of values: the left treats capital punishment itself as illegitimate and wants the law abolished, while the right accepts the law's legitimacy and insists clemency should track individual case merit, not blanket policy.