Letter to Governor Newsom Urging The End of Death Row in CA

June 30, 2026

Dear Governor Newsom,

On behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we write to urge you to commute the sentences of death for the 589 individuals on California's death row and to eliminate the death penalty in your state.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a national denomination of 2,700,000 members, including 59,279 in your state, opposes capital punishment. We believe and teach that all life is sacred, and the death penalty undermines this belief by perpetuating cycles of violence and injustice. God's intention for a just society, expressed in the teachings of Jesus, emphasizes nonviolence, mercy, and compassion over punishment.

The ELCA social statement on the death penalty sets forth this church's objection to capital punishment, which is rooted in the Scriptural call to Christians to respond to violence through restorative justice for victims and perpetrators, rather than by exacting revenge. The social statement sets forth:

• "It is because of this church's ministry with and to people affected by violent crime that we oppose the death penalty." This church's stance is informed by the ministry of our congregations with offenders, victims, and their families. The ELCA teaches that following Christ is to commit to restorative justice (Matthew 5:38-39, John 8:3-11) and to address each person impacted by violent crime. Capital punishment denies victims and their families, and offenders, the chance for redemption and restorative justice. Instead, the death penalty seeks retribution, sometimes vengeance, and fails to address the systemic issues of our broken society.

• "It is because of this church's commitment to justice that we oppose the death penalty." The death penalty has never been, nor can it be, administered restoratively or justly. Race, gender, mental health conditions, age, affluence, geography, and more all affect the judgment regarding the sentence of capital punishment. The ELCA continues to advocate for a more holistic and restorative alternative to capital punishment.

• "It is because of this church's concern regarding the actual use of the death penalty that we oppose its imposition." Human beings are imperfect; innocent lives have been taken by the sentence of the death penalty in the past and inevitably again in the future.
  This is a mistake we cannot correct. The death penalty has not been proven to deter violence or make society safer. By continuing its practice, we send a message of brutality and violence.

The ELCA affirms the state’s responsibility under God for the protection of citizens and maintenance of justice and public order. This does not mean that governments have an unlimited right to take life or that crimes must be punished by death.

As a church, we arrive at our positions through gathering in faith, engaging in moral deliberation, recognizing the dignity of every human, and striving for justice. In that spirit, we urge you to commute the death sentences for all 589 individuals on California's death row and to work towards abolishing the death penalty in California.

Signed,

Bishop Brenda Bes

Bishop of the Southwest California Synod, ELCA

The Rev. Dave Nagler

Bishop of the Pacifica Synod, ELCA

The Rev. Jeff R. Johnson

Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, ELCA

The Rev. Amy E. Reumann

Senior Director of Witness in Society, ELCA

Regina Q. Banks, JD

Director, Lutheran Office of Public Policy - California