Newsom’s decision comes as he prepares to leave office and considers a possible presidential bid. In 2019, he placed a moratorium on executions in the state but hundreds of people remained on death row. There are currently 548 people on the state's death row.
“I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom said in a letter.
Newsom's move comes despite the fact that in 2016, California voters rejected a ballot measure that would have repealed the death penalty.
Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will bring back painful memories for the families of those who were murdered.
