Story perspectives

Becerra Promises to Extend California’s Execution Moratorium

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 5:35 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Xavier Becerra pledged to extend Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 execution moratorium if elected.
As California attorney general, Becerra defended death-penalty convictions and pursued capital punishment in the Scott Dekraai case.
California prisons held 565 condemned inmates in early August, with no execution since 2006.
Republican Steve Hilton opposes the death penalty but would lift the moratorium, citing 2012 and 2016 voter rejections.

History

Historical Context

In 1972, the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Anderson that the state’s death penalty violated the state constitution, halting executions. The court’s decision freed 127 inmates on death row, and Governor Jerry Brown’s 1976 moratorium kept California without executions for decades. Today, Attorney General Xavier Becerra promises to extend Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 moratorium, while the state houses 565 condemned prisoners, echoing the earlier judicial halt. The recurring moratorium underscores California’s ongoing legal and political struggle over capital punishment, likely delaying any resumption of executions for years.

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Story summary

Xavier Becerra pledged to extend Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019 execution moratorium if elected.
As California attorney general, Becerra defended death-penalty convictions and pursued capital punishment in the Scott Dekraai case.
California prisons held 565 condemned inmates in early August, with no execution since 2006.
Republican Steve Hilton opposes the death penalty but would lift the moratorium, citing 2012 and 2016 voter rejections.

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