How many violent criminals did gavin newsom pardon?
Executive summary
Governor Gavin Newsom has issued dozens of pardons and commutations since taking office; recent official tallies from his office list totals such as 263 pardons, 160 commutations and 42 reprieves (announcement of Nov. 7, 2025) and earlier statements show smaller cumulative counts at earlier dates (for example 144 pardons as of mid‑2024) [1] [2]. Reporting and commentary disagree about how many of those grants involved people convicted of violent crimes — sources document individual cases (including murder and attempted murder) and count commutations of life sentences, but they differ in emphasis and in which acts are called “pardons” versus “commutations” [3] [4] [5].
1. What the official numbers say: cumulative pardons and clemency counts
The Governor’s office provides the clearest numerical record: a November 7, 2025 news release states Newsom “has granted 16 pardons today” and reports cumulative totals while in office of 263 pardons, 160 commutations and 42 reprieves [1]. Earlier official releases gave smaller cumulative totals at earlier dates (for example a 2023 release listed 144 pardons, 123 commutations and 36 reprieves) showing the counts increase over time as Newsom continues to act [2].
2. Why totals alone don’t answer “how many violent criminals were pardoned”
Official tallies (pardons, commutations, reprieves) do not classify grantees by offense type in a single summary table in the releases cited here; instead, releases describe individual cases. Multiple news stories list specific pardons or commutations that involved violent offenses (attempted murder, murder, gang shootings), but the Governor’s cumulative numbers do not directly break out how many pardons were for violent convictions versus nonviolent ones [3] [6].
3. Examples reporters and critics cite as violent‑offense cases
Local and national outlets covering specific actions document violent‑offense recipients. For instance, when Newsom granted executive clemency in April 2025 he issued 16 pardons and 9 commutations in 25 cases; coverage named recipients convicted of gun crimes and attempted murder and identified at least one commutation for an attempted murderer [3] [6]. Advocacy and partisan outlets have highlighted commutations of people convicted of murder or attempted murder — one legislative caucus page claims commutations of 21 inmates (14 for murder or attempted murder) though that source is partisan and frames the grants critically [4].
4. Discrepancies in counting: pardons vs. commutations vs. clemency requests
Observers sometimes conflate pardons, commutations and reprieves. A pardon “wipes the slate” of certain civil disabilities; a commutation reduces a sentence and can make someone eligible for parole. Newsom’s office reports all three types, and some critics point to commutations of long prison terms (including life without parole cases) as evidence he’s “pardoning violent criminals,” but those are technically commutations rather than pardons in the official notices [1] [3]. Independent commentary also notes Newsom has sought California Supreme Court approval to commute or pardon people with multiple felonies in certain cases, which complicates counting [5] [7].
5. Reporting and political commentary diverge on scale and intent
Mainstream local outlets (KCRA, Sacramento Bee, Davis Vanguard) reported specific clemency rounds that included violent‑crime cases while remaining descriptive [3] [8]. Advocacy and partisan sites frame the same actions as far broader releases of violent offenders; an opinionated piece asserted Newsom sought clemency approval for “62 recidivist felons — including 13 murderers” since taking office, while other outlets document smaller discrete batches and emphasize rehabilitation or immigration‑relief rationales for particular pardons [5] [9].
6. What available sources do not mention (limitations)
Available sources do not provide a single, source‑verified count that isolates how many pardons (as distinct from commutations or reprieves) were given specifically to people convicted of violent crimes across Newsom’s tenure. They also do not present a standardized public dataset categorizing every clemency grant by offense type that would let an independent tally be produced directly from these releases (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line — how to interpret the claim “How many violent criminals did Gavin Newsom pardon?”
Official counts show hundreds of clemency actions by Newsom overall, and multiple documented cases involve violent offenses [1] [3]. Whether those cases are labeled “pardons” or “commutations” matters legally and for public perception; sources diverge in how they aggregate and characterize such cases, and no single source in the provided reporting gives a definitive, offense‑by‑offense count of “violent criminals pardoned” [1] [5] [3]. To get a precise number, request from the Governor’s office or a vetted dataset listing each clemency grant with the underlying conviction type would be necessary — available sources do not supply that consolidated breakdown (not found in current reporting).