How do Gavin Newsom's pardon numbers compare to previous California governors?

1. How many pardons has Newsom granted — the running tally

Newsom’s official clemency announcements show a running tally that the governor’s office updates after each action: 144 pardons (with 123 commutations, 36 reprieves) reported in May 2023 ^[1]; 181 pardons (141 commutations, 40 reprieves) after a March 2024 action ^[2]; 205 pardons after a November 2024 batch ^[3]; 224 pardons and 150 commutations in April 2025 ^[4]; and a cumulative count of 247 pardons, 160 commutations and 42 reprieves reported on August 29, 2025 ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}. These totals come directly from Newsom’s press releases and vary as new grants are announced ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}.

2. Pace and practice: Newsom’s pattern of clemency by batch

Newsom issues clemency mostly in grouped announcements: for example, 37 pardons and 18 commutations announced in March 2024 ^[2]; smaller batches such as 16 pardons and nine commutations in April 2025 ^{[6] [4]}; and other group actions of 19 pardons in late 2024 ^{[7] [3]}. The governor frames these as part of rehabilitation, public‑safety and reentry goals, and his office includes commutations and reprieves in its cumulative accounting ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Comparison to predecessors — what the record here does and does not show

Available sources supplied do not include systematic, side‑by‑side totals for prior California governors, so direct numeric comparisons to predecessors are not found in current reporting. The provided material documents only Newsom’s totals and batch announcements; it does not supply the pardon/commutation totals for Jerry Brown, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or others for a direct head‑to‑head comparison (not found in current reporting).

4. What pardons and commutations mean in context

Newsom’s press releases repeatedly emphasize that a pardon restores certain civil rights but does not expunge a conviction; commutations reduce sentences and can make people eligible for parole ^{[2] [1]}. His office states clemency is intended to remove collateral barriers to employment and reentry, address health needs, and correct unjust results — framing clemency as a public‑safety and rehabilitative tool rather than mere mercy ^{[2] [1]}.

5. Critiques, political context and implicit agendas in the coverage

Some outside commentary (for example, opinion pieces and advocacy sites) frame pardons as policy choices with political consequences; one conservative policy outlet criticized Newsom’s 2020 pardons for immigration effects ^[8]. Newsom’s office language and timing — frequent group grants reported near holidays or public events — signal a public‑relations component as well as criminal‑justice policy aims ^{[7] [3]}. The sources provided include mostly official statements and local reporting; critical or independent audits comparing Newsom’s volume or case mix to predecessors are not present in the provided set (not found in current reporting).

6. What to watch next and how to interpret incoming numbers

Because the governor’s office updates cumulative totals with each announcement, future Newsom tallies will continue to rise in the same manner documented here ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}. For a fair historical comparison to previous governors, reporters and researchers need contemporaneous official totals from those governors’ administrations or a compiled dataset from state records; those comparative data are not included in the sources provided (not found in current reporting).

Limitations: this account relies solely on the governor’s press releases and local reporting in the supplied sources, which give clear running totals for Newsom but do not provide comparable, sourced totals for prior governors ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}.