After California bombshell, Florida could have biggest death row in US
Yesterday, Florida had the second-most death row inmates after California, despite Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent push to execute prisoners who have been on death row for decades. However, hours before Florida is set to execute Jesse Guardado for the 2004 stabbing and beating death of 75-year-old community activist Jackie Malone in Walton County, California Gov. Gavin Newsom commuted all 548 California death sentences to life without the possibility of parole . "After nearly 30 years in public office, I have come to understand the limits of what government can justly accomplish," Newsom wrote in an open letter to Californians. "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. "I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency," he said. Newsom's term ends in January, but he is said to be considering a run for president in 2028. Newsom's move does not immediately commute all 529 men and 19 women in California. The California Supreme Court will have to decide whether to approve commutations for people
