Governor Newsom commutes all death row sentences

Now at 10, hundreds of California inmates spared from a death sentence. Governor Gavin Newsom's death row decision drawing praise and outrage tonight. I don't have faith in our government. I don't have faith in our criminal justice system. What we need to do is what's right for all Californians. Tonight, families of crime victims saying they feel betrayed by the governor. Good evening, everyone. I'm Mike Meebeck. And I'm Claudine Wall. Newsom is calling the death penalty a failure of the legal system and inconsistent with California's values. Writing in an open letter, quote, Many Californians feel that those who commit brutal crimes deserve to die. But as governor, I have concluded the state cannot morally kill them. I do, however, pray that this action will finally separate the memories of the victims of these crimes from the fate of those who harmed them. We can now let these offenders die in obscurity while we forever remember and honor their victims. There has not been an execution in California. Since January 17th, 2006, and in 2019, Governor Newsom issued a moratorium on execution through an executive order. Now, under his direction, San Quentin, formerly home to the state's only death row for male inmates, has been transformed into a rehabilitation center, and that is where we find KTVU's Amber Lee tonight with more on the divided reaction to the decision. Amber? Mike and Claudine, the last execution in California was carried out here at San Quentin, like you said, 20 years ago. Earlier tonight, I spoke with a father whose daughter was kidnapped and killed and the ACLU. I want to surround myself with memories of my child. Mark Klass has images of his daughter, Polly Klass, prominently displayed in his Bay Area home. The 12-year-old was kidnapped from her mother's home in Petaluma 33 years ago during a slumber party with her friends. A jury convicted Richard Allen Davis, a parolee, of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to death. But on Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom commuted the sentences of 548 death row inmates in California to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Disappointment and betrayal, quite frankly. Klaas says the governor's blanket commutation gives no consideration to individual cases. We're talking about cop killers and baby killers and serial killers and spree killers. These are absolutely the worst people, and it undermines my faith in the criminal justice system. Klaas says he questions why the governor is taking this action now when there is already a moratorium on executions in California. And Javier Becerra, the newly elected governor, has said He will continue the moratorium. The California death penalty is rife with mistakes, rife with racial discrimination, takes very long to administer the process, and it does not solve crime. We can have safety and accountability for all Californians without executions. Abdi Soltani is the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Northern California. He says the governor is doing what's right. Black defendants are eight times more likely to be sentenced to death under similar circumstances than defendants of other races. This death penalty in our state is inhumane. It's broken. It's expensive. For Klaas, the governor's action means justice has not been served for his daughter. Polly would have been 45 years old this year. I will always hold the memory of my baby in my heart, you know? And I'm just so sorry that the monster that did that to her has been given the gift of life. Klaas tells me he's coped with the loss of his daughter by starting the Klaas Kids Foundation to help search for missing children. He closed a non-profit two years ago, but says he'll continue to help victims' families. The California Supreme Court still has to approve the commutation in some death row cases. Mike? 382 of them. All right, Amber Lee, live tonight in Marin County. Amber, thank you.