Marc Klaas criticized Gavin Newsom not running for governor of California while objecting to a potential plan to commute California’s remaining death sentences. Klaas said the move would be a betrayal of crime victims and voters. The dispute centers on whether Newsom will use his power over those sentences before leaving office.
Marc Klaas and Polly Klaas
Klaas spoke as the father of Polly Klaas, who was murdered decades ago. That family history gives his criticism direct weight in a debate shaped by crime victims, voters, and prisoners on California’s death row.
California and Gavin Newsom
The potential commutations would affect the state’s remaining death sentences, not a single case. If Newsom acts, the change would reach every prisoner still under a death sentence in California, altering the punishment those cases carry.
Klaas has already framed the possible action in moral terms. He called it a betrayal, putting him squarely against Newsom’s option to commute the sentences rather than leave them in place.
Whether Gavin Newsom
Whether Gavin Newsom will actually commute California’s remaining death sentences remains the unresolved point. For now, the fight is over the choice itself, and Klaas has made clear that he wants the governor to keep those sentences intact.
