SANTA CLARA BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PASSES HISTORIC DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM

For Immediate Release October 30, 2001 For More Information: Ellen Kreitzberg, 408-554-4724 Terry McCaffrey, 408-257-4611

SANTA CLARA BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PASSES HISTORIC DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM

Vote Calls for Governor to Halt Executions While Inequities are Addressed

SAN JOSE, CA -- The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution this morning calling upon the Governor and state Legislature to halt implementation of California's death penalty. Santa Clara becomes just the second California county to pass a formal resolution calling for a halt to capital punishment (San Francisco was the first) and the first in what the Los Angeles Times identified as "such a large, diverse and moderate county" in its Saturday, Oct. 27 edition.

The vote was 4-1 in support of the moratorium resolution. More than 600 men and women await execution on California's death row, 27 of whom were convicted in Santa Clara County.

The resolution calls upon the Governor to impose a moratorium "unless and until discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin or economic status is eliminated," as well as the risk of executing innocent people. A similar resolution was adopted in August by the City of Menlo Park, which joined San Francisco (city and county), Oakland, Berkeley and Santa Cruz as cities and counties that have formally endorsed a halt to capital punishment in California. Hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals have endorsed a halt to California's death penalty. A recent Field Poll shows as many as 73% of Californians support a "time out" on state executions.

Supervisor Blanca Alvarado, in supporting the moratorium resolution, stated: "We know that the justice system does not work, that it is unfair and biased. We need to examine the system and the moratorium is the best way to do this."

With this vote, Santa Clara County joins a growing statewide as well as nationwide movement working to bring about a moratorium on the death penalty. The movement received an enormous boost in January, 2000 when Illinois Governor George Ryan, a Republican and staunch supporter of capital punishment, declared a moratorium on executions in his state after the 13th death row inmate was exonerated of the charges for which he was condemned to die.

"In today's political climate it is even more important that political leaders speak out and provide the moral leadership to question the fairness of the death penalty," said Ellen Kreitzberg, law professor at Santa Clara University and a leader of California's moratorium movement. "Today's vote by the Board has shown they have that quality." # # # Return to Press Releases