At Gov. Gavin Newsom's direction, San Quentin State prison officers dismantled the execution chamber, loading the lethal injection gurney and gas chamber chairs onto a truck to be stored on the prison grounds. (Photo, courtesy of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.)

In summary

Why Gov. Gavin Newsom issued death penalty reprieves, the mob hit that informed his decision, Southern California Edison power lines sparked the Thomas Fire

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Dan Morain joined CalMatters in March 2018. He is the former editorial page editor of The Sacramento Bee. Morain also spent 27 years at The Los Angeles Times, and has covered the Capitol since 1992.