A Slain Officer's Mother Says Newsom Is Thinking of 2028

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will commute every death sentence in the state, all 548 of them, to life without the possibility of parole. He announced the move Thursday, Nov. 5, as he prepares to leave office after eight years, according to the Associated Press, in a story carried by PBS NewsHour. The Thursday date is inferred from the AP's wording, which says he spoke "Thursday."

The decision follows a moratorium on executions that Newsom imposed in 2019. According to The Gateway Pundit, California has not carried out an execution since 2006. The announcement drew sharp criticism, including from the mother of a police officer who was killed.

Phyllis Loya's son, Pittsburg, California, police officer Larry Lasater, was shot and killed in 2005, according to The Gateway Pundit and a syndicated version of the New York Post report. She says Newsom is positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run. That is her claim, and the notes do not show Newsom saying anything of the kind.

What Newsom Said

The governor's explanation came in a letter quoted by the AP. In it, Newsom wrote that "state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values." The AP also reported that he called the decision among the hardest of his career.

The American Civil Liberties Union applauded the move. The group is already pressing a separate legal challenge to California's death-penalty statute, the AP noted.

No official release from the governor's office for this action could be located for this story, so the precise wording and scope of the order are known only through secondhand accounts. Outlets have described it differently. The Gateway Pundit, in a piece bylined by Jack Davis of The Western Journal, reported that Newsom "commuted" all 548 sentences. The AP framed it as an announcement that he will do so. The Western Journal's own article could not be accessed for this story.

A Mother's Reaction

Lasater was shot while trying to arrest two robbery suspects, The Gateway Pundit reported, citing an April 23, 2005, date. His mother's comments were reported by the New York Post, according to The Gateway Pundit. A syndicated version of the same interview credits a "California Post," so the outlet name differs between accounts. The quotes here come secondhand through The Gateway Pundit.

Loya called Newsom a "political animal." Of his motive, she said: "He wants to be president."

That is her assertion, not the governor's. The Gateway Pundit also names Alexander Rashad Hamilton as Lasater's killer. No other source read for this story does so, and The Gateway Pundit does not say whether he is among the 548 whose sentences are affected. That remains unconfirmed.

Other reaction appeared on social media. Rep. Nancy Mace posted criticism dated Nov. 5, according to a post embedded in The Gateway Pundit's story. Another embedded post, by Daniel Friedman and dated the same day, cited the commutation of Randy Kraft. That claim has not been verified by a wire service or official source.

The Court May Have the Last Word

The governor may not have the final say in every case. The California Constitution requires the state Supreme Court to approve clemency for anyone convicted of a felony more than once, the AP reported. An ABC7 search snippet, the only version of that report available, says the court will have the final say in hundreds of cases.

That leaves the actual legal effect of Thursday's announcement unsettled. How many sentences the governor can change on his own, and how many need the court's approval, has not been spelled out in any official document reviewed for this story.

Next up is the California Supreme Court, which must review clemency for the repeat felons covered by the order, while the ACLU's challenge to the death-penalty law continues on its own track. Newsom's exact departure date was not confirmed in the reporting.