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Mixed reaction to California governor’s death penalty moratorium

by City News Service • March 13, 2019

LOS ANGELES – The head of an association representing Los Angeles County prosecutors Wednesday decried Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order declaring a moratorium on the death penalty in California, while the Los Angeles County public defender’s office called it an “historic step” for criminal justice reform in the state.

Michele Hanisee, president of the union representing nearly 1,000 Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys, said the governor is “usurping the express will of California voters and substituting his personal preferences via this hasty and ill-considered moratorium on the death penalty.”

More than 200 inmates are on death row for murders committed in Los Angeles County — the largest number by far of any county in California.

But a number of politicians agreed with the governor, who called it “the right thing” to do, as did the office of Los Angeles County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia.

“The governor’s decision brings California closer to ending the death penalty, a deeply flawed and racially biased system that fails to improve public safety,” the public defender’s statement says. “Only last year, Vincente Benavides, a man who had spent 25 years on death row in California, was exonerated. Mr. Benavides had always maintained his innocence, and he had no criminal record or history of violence. An innocent man could have been executed. This is only one reason why the moratorium is so important.”

Sen. Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor and state attorney general who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, called it “an important day for justice and for the state of California … As a career law enforcement official, I have opposed the death penalty because it is immoral, discriminatory, ineffective, and a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, the California Innocence Project, Re:store Justice and Death Penalty Focus also lauded the governor’s order.

“It has been my dream for many years that we would end the human rights violation known as the death penalty in California,” said Justin Brooks, director of the California Innocence Project. “It is certain that as long as there is the death penalty there is the risk of executing innocent people.”

A copy of the governor’s executive order signed Wednesday, March 13, can be found here.

Previous related story: Governor orders a halt to the death penalty in California

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Filed Under: Home, Politics

17 comments for "Mixed reaction to California governor’s death penalty moratorium"

  1. Diane Church says

    March 17, 2019 at 9:44 am

    The murderer of 8 year old Gabriel Fernandez is celebrating Gov Newsome. Cuz now he has dozens of privileges he would not be entitled to on Death Row.
    Yeah, THAT is who Gov Newsome is rewarding.
    Also, the murderer of 10 year old Anthony Avalos.

  2. female ex-felon says

    March 17, 2019 at 6:00 am

    Doesn’t make sense: You aren’t aware that there are female ex-felons? There are women’s prisons, and just like men, they do their time, then they are released.

  3. Alexis says

    March 15, 2019 at 11:47 am

    The family of raped and murdered 3-year-old Sophia Acosta by Christopher Cheary feel betrayed by Governor Newsom.

  4. Mike says

    March 14, 2019 at 6:13 pm

    So the Governor can’t sign his name to the execution of an inmate but he has no issue standing behind the numerous daily execution of unborn children (abortion). Yea…that checks out. Sounds just like California’s politics. Way to lead the nation Gavin Newsom.

  5. The Hangman says

    March 14, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    Does this mean Rex can’t hang trafficking violators in the parking lots of the hotels on Sierra Highway? That will make him sad.

  6. LifeIsHolyCrapDidYouSeeThatShooting says

    March 14, 2019 at 11:54 am

    Life is precious. Well, fetus life is precious. Well, until they’re born. After that, it’s up to the free-loading single mother we forced to have birth to make good decisions based on the excellent schools, good paying jobs, great accessible free health care, and a strong Christian backbone we will make available for EVERYONE.

    If not, well, we kill ’em.

    • Jason Zink says

      March 15, 2019 at 5:35 am

      In Case You Missed It:
      Sacramento Bee – Marcos Bretón:
      “Remember the victims. Death row is filled with killers, not martyrs”
      By Marcos Bretón
      March 13, 2019

      The death penalty is effectively dead in California thanks to an executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, and progressives across the nation are cheering.

      … Personally, I would join in the cheering of Newsom if I weren’t haunted by the heinous details of unspeakable crimes committed by some of the men spared by Newsom’s pen and his flair for the dramatic.

      Remember the victims? They received only passing mention from the governor after he announced his reprieve and, quite frankly, this is a weakness in the progressive movement – the inability to acknowledge that some convicted death row inmates really are guilty, some really did commit heinous acts. Some really aren’t worthy of sanctification for the purposes of making anti-death penalty arguments.

      … In California, fewer than 2 percent of murders becomes death penalty cases. They really are the worst of the worst. They really prove that evil lives in our world.

      … But in making the principled argument, progressives too easily forget the people whose loved ones suffered and died at the hands of men who don’t deserve to be viewed as a discriminated class without at least the acknowledgment of what they did to wind up on death row. …

      “Some people should get the punishment they deserve,” said [Kent] Scheidegger [Sacramento-based Criminal Justice Foundation]

      This is true. … We’re looking at progressive California in 2019, where victims don’t have much standing unless we are talking about people shot and killed by police.

      Read more here: https://bit.ly/2UB1lyx

  7. Alexis says

    March 14, 2019 at 10:46 am

    Are the death row inmates going to be placed in general population?

    • Michelle Egberts says

      March 14, 2019 at 11:32 pm

      @ Alexis… yes they will as there are no more SNY (special needs yards) anymore. It will take time to place them but they will remain in maximum security prisons and no lower than closed B custody until they die.

      • Alexis says

        March 15, 2019 at 9:39 am

        My question was a tongue in cheek remark/question. As an ex-felon, I know what comes out of the mouth of any politician on either side will come to nothing. His stand against what the voters wanted is temporary, and must be brought to the people for a vote, again. I am an advocate for prison reform that will never come to fruition in my lifetime, because of ingrained patterns of behavior, and people with ears that don’t hear, or care to hear and do.

  8. Michelle Egberts says

    March 14, 2019 at 5:35 am

    Thank you Governor Newsom… now the cost saving’s can be directed to other more vital state issues such as victim services.

    • Magnetlady says

      March 14, 2019 at 11:22 am

      What ”cost savings”?? Now, the TAXPAYERS will have to pay over $40,000 per year for over 700 Death Row Inmates until they die…. Do the Math, please!!

      • Big Chungus says

        March 14, 2019 at 1:25 pm

        California already doesn’t execute their death row prisoners. The last execution was around 13 years ago. The prisoners of California death row are more likely to die of natural causes or suicide then to be executed. Death row is more expensive to house the criminals then general population due to security measures and precautions. There are some men that have been there over 20 years. This would save money in the long run. California is a pretty liberal pro life state if you don’t like it don’t live here. “Do the math” and maybe do some research before stating your opinion.

        • AV Illegal says

          March 14, 2019 at 5:35 pm

          Pro-Life California, really?…..unless it is regarding the unborn or born but after a consultation with the parents and a doctor a death penalty. I wonder if his decision applies here as well?

    • Alexis says

      March 14, 2019 at 1:11 pm

      Cost savings for victim services? There is no cost savings. period.

    • Laughing says

      March 14, 2019 at 3:19 pm

      We can save even more money if the voters had been listened to.

  9. Executive Order says

    March 13, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    Death row inmates are essentially lifers anyway.

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