California voters keep death penalty

— California voters rejected the latest attempt to repeal California’s death penalty, dealing a blow to activists who saw the election as their best chance in 35 years to end capital punishment in the state.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting in unofficial results, the measure was defeated by more than 500,000 votes out of more than 9 million cast.

The state has executed just 13 convicts, and its death row has ballooned to 726 inmates since 71 percent of the electorate voted to reinstate capital punishment in 1978. No executions have taken place since 2006 because of federal and state lawsuits filed by death-row inmates.

The state Legislative Analyst’s Office has said ending the death penalty would save the state $130 million annually.

Proposition 34 would have repealed capital punishment in California and shuttered death row, converting the death sentences of the 726 condemned to life without the possibility of parole. The measure also would have created a $100 million fund to help investigate unsolved murder and rape cases.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 11/08/2012

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