L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman Rips Gavin Newsom For Commuting Death Sentences

L.A. D.A. to Gavin Newsom Your Commutations Won't Kill the Death Penalty Published November 5, 2026 2:28 PM PST Gavin Newsom is sparing hundreds of inmates from execution in California ... but Los Angeles County's top prosecutor says the governor can't wipe out the death penalty entirely. In a statement Thursday, District Attorney Nathan Hochman acknowledged Newsom has the constitutional power to commute death sentences ... but stressed, "That power does not extend to eliminating the death penalty." Hochman pointed out California voters have twice rejected efforts to eliminate the death penalty ... pointing out only voters or the state Legislature can change that law. Hochman's not backing down ... saying his office will continue considering the death penalty in all eligible cases as long as it remains legal. He also turned his attention to victims' families ... saying they deserve a justice system that honors the law and treats their cases fairly. As TMZ previously reported ... Newsom announced plans Thursday to commute the sentences of all 548 California death row inmates to life in prison without parole, arguing state-sanctioned executions are incompatible with California's values. But there's a catch ... hundreds of those commutations still need approval from the California Supreme Court, and the death penalty itself remains on the books. Related articles Gavin Newsom Nathan Hochman Death Penalty Crime Politics Legal News