California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to use executive action on the death penalty in a state where more than 730 inmates are on death row

Associated Press

California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his decision to withdraw most of the National Guard troops from the nation's southern border and changing their mission, during a Capitol news conference Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to use executive action on the death penalty.
• The Democratic governor, who was elected in Nov. 2018, is expected to make an announcement at 10 a.m. PDT on Wednesday.
• California has not executed a death row inmate since 2006 due to legal challenges, but it has more than 730 inmates on death row - the most of any state - including 24 who were convicted of murder.
• "The minute I got elected, in the transition, I prioritized this issue," Newsom said to The Times. "I don't want to react to something. I want to be proactive. And I have been very proactive in trying to determine what the best path is."

The death penalty's days may be numbered in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to announce on Wednesday his plans to use executive action to reduce the use of the death penalty.

"I do not believe that a civilized society can claim to be a leader in the world as long as its government continues to sanction the premeditated and discriminatory execution of its people," Newsom said in a statement to INSIDER on Tuesday night.

"The death penalty is inconsistent with our bedrock values and strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Californian," Newsom said.

California has not executed a death row inmate since 2006 due to legal challenges, but it has 737 inmates on death row - the most of any state - including 24 who were convicted of murder.

Newsom is personally opposed to capital punishment, and in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Tuesday morning, he addressed the issue and gave hints at how he may use his executive power as governor.

"The minute I got elected, in the transition, I prioritized this issue," Newsom said to The Times. "I don't want to react to something. I want to be proactive. And I have been very proactive in trying to determine what the best path is."

He asked his advisers to look into what he can legally do, The Times said, and his options include, "constitutional power to commute death sentences and issue temporary reprieves."

The Associated Press reports that he will close the execution chamber at San Quentin State Prison, halt executions of those sitting on death row, and will withdraw "the lethal injection regulations."

In 2016, Newsom supported Proposition 62, which would have abolished the death penalty. It lost by a vote of 53% to 47%; that same year voters approved Proposition 66, which changed the appeals process and ultimately speed up the death penalty process.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have eliminated the death penalty, INSIDER reported last year, and several states have a governor-imposed moratorium.