At Governor Gavin Newsom’s request, the Supreme Court today recommended a sentence commutation for Esdvin Flores and a pardon for Curtis Reynolds. The state constitution required the Governor to get the Supreme Court’s permission because Flores and Reynolds were both convicted of multiple felonies.
Flores was sentenced to 45 years to life for robbery as a third strike with firearm and prior felony enhancements and he also has two prior robbery convictions. Reynolds has two felony convictions, but Newsom didn’t publicly disclose what they were for.
The Governor is now 4-0 in his clemency recommendation requests. (Here and here.)
The court acted quickly on Flores; Newsom asked for the court’s approval only three weeks ago. The court took a bit more time with the Reynolds request, which was submitted at the end of August.
As is its wont, the court did not give any reasons for today’s clemency decisions.
[October 18 update: along with four other clemency grants, Governor Newsom yesterday pardoned Reynolds and commuted Flores’s sentence.]
A person wonders if classified information not disclosed to public went arguing exemplary post conviction conduct means an informant been rewarded for providing false or true information to accumulate points with prison guards.