The death penalty in California is a dysfunctional failure that risks killing innocent people and costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. SB 490 will give voters the option to replace the death penalty with life without parole, saving Californians $1 billion over five years.

The death penalty costs $184 million each year in California, according to a new report by a federal judge and a law professor. A single execution costs $308 million above the cost of life without parole. Meanwhile education, health care, and law enforcement are drastically underfunded.

Life without parole is a better alternative that saves funds to keep our communities safe, provides swift and certain justice for victim's family members, and does not run the risk of killing an innocent person. We can save $1 billion over the next five years without releasing a single prisoner. Support SB 490 for real justice and public safety.