Skip to main content

Attempt to End Death Penalty in California Losing

Support Provided By
Prop34
Image by Flickr user Old Man Lee, used under a Creative Commons License.

Proposition 34, which would replace the death penalty in California with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, was trailing with nearly a quarter of the state's precincts counted.

The initiative was being rejected by a margin of 55.7 percent to 44.3 percent with vote-by-mail ballots and 24.1 percent of the state's precincts partially or fully counted, according to figures released by the Secretary of State's Office.

Proposition 34 would apply retroactively to inmates sentenced to death and require convicted killers to work while imprisoned, with their wages applied to any victim restitution fines or orders against them.

Passage of Proposition 34 would result in net savings to the state and counties in "the high tens of millions of dollars annually on a statewide basis," according to an analysis prepared by Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor and Director of Finance Ana J. Matosantos.

The measure would set aside $100 million in savings for DNA testing and fingerprint analysis in an attempt to help solve more homicide and rape cases.

"Instead of wasting the money on the death penalty that is broken, we need to spend our criminal justice dollars in a way that does something to improve public safety,'' initiative proponent Jeanne Woodford, a former San Quentin State Prison warden, told City News Service.

"The best way to prevent crime is to solve it. We have to be very thoughtful about how we spend our criminal justice dollars and we can't spend it on a punishment that is so costly and does nothing to improve public safety."

Former U. S. Attorney McGregor Scott, a co-chair of the No on Proposition 34 campaign, said "the answer lies in fixing the death penalty process by eliminating frivolous appeals, not abandoning it."

Deputy Sheriffs' Association of San Diego President Dave Schaller said "eliminating the death penalty would impact public safety and put law enforcement at risk."

California's death penalty law was reinstated by the Legislature in 1977 over the veto of Gov. Jerry Brown and amended by voters in 1978. It has resulted in 13 executions, the most recent in 2006.

Support Provided By
Read More
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
A Black woman with long, black brains wears a black Chicago Bulls windbreaker jacket with red and white stripes as she stands at the top of a short staircase in a housing complex and rests her left hand on the metal railing. She smiles slightly while looking directly at the camera.

Los Angeles County Is Testing AI's Ability To Prevent Homelessness

In order to prevent people from becoming homeless before it happens, Los Angeles County officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to predict who in the county is most likely to lose their housing. They would then step in to help those people with their rent, utility bills, car payments and more so they don't become unhoused.
blue themed graphic including electric vehicles are charging stations, wind turbines and trees, 2023 in reference to year

A Look Back at Climate Solutions In 2023

The U.S. may have a long way to go in its decarbonization goals, but these stories show signs of progress in climate solutions.