Newsom grants 10 pardons, including for drug crimes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has granted 10 pardons, including for several people convicted of drug crimes more than 20 years ago and a man facing the possibility of deportation. Newsom issued the pardons Friday afternoon. The governor has granted 140 pardons, 123 commutations and 35 reprieves since taking office in 2019. The California Constitution gives the governor authority to grant clemency. A commutation reduces the length of a prison sentence. A pardon would effectively do the same, but it also restores certain civil rights for people who have already completed their sentences.