Staff Reports
Governor Gavin Newsom quietly chose not to stop the parole of a convicted killer, and now a 75‑year‑old man convicted in a brutal 1974 murder is eligible to walk out of the California Men’s Colony. That decision — or deliberate lack of one — matters. It shows whose side the governor is on: the criminal’s or the victim’s family.
What happened and who’s angry
The California Board of Parole Hearings granted parole to Alberto Tamez Jr. after a December 2025 hearing. The board’s decision moved into the governor’s review window, where Governor Gavin Newsom could have kept the man behind bars. Instead, the governor took no action. His office notified the board in late April that he would not intervene, leaving the parole grant in place and making Tamez immediately eligible for release processing.
The crime and the case against the release
Tamez, CDCR #B59801, was convicted in 1974 of first‑degree murder, kidnapping, robbery and rape after Genevieve Moreno was found murdered outside Nipomo. He later admitted to beating, robbing and abandoning her and pleaded no contest to the murder. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow says his office “fought this outcome at every stage” and called the crime a “horrific, senseless act of violence.” The DA and the local community are outraged that a man with that record is now eligible to walk free because the governor opted to sit on his hands.
Gubernatorial power and political choices
Under California law, the governor has the authority to review and reverse parole grants on certain cases. Governor Newsom has used that power before, most notably to reverse a high‑profile parole years ago. So the choice to do nothing here is not a shrug of incapacity — it was a political move. If you’re running for higher office, sitting out on a case like this looks like a conscious calculation that will not play well with voters who care about law and order.
Public safety, victims and accountability
This isn’t just theory. People in Nipomo and San Luis Obispo County are shaken. Victims’ families expect the state to defend them, not to hand dangerous people a fast pass to freedom. If parole boards are finding people suitable who admitted to rape and murder, and the governor refuses to step in, it’s a recipe for public anger and for political consequences. Governor Newsom owes the public a clear explanation — not silence.
At the end of the day, leaders must pick a side. Do they stand with victims and public safety, or with a system that too often prioritizes parole statistics over justice? Governor Newsom’s silence in the Tamez case answers that question for many voters. If the administration won’t explain itself, citizens and local officials will keep asking — loudly and persistently — until someone does.
