Environment

Roundtable: California's Death Penalty Moratorium

By Kris Vera-Phillips / Senior News Producer, Mark Sauer / Host, The Roundtable

Published March 15, 2019 at 7:23 AM PDT

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

Roundtable: California's Death Penalty Moratorium

Matthew Hall, editorial and opinion director, The San Diego Union-Tribune Michael Smolens, columnist, The San Diego Union-Tribune Erik Anderson, environment reporter, KPBS News Sara Libby, managing editor, Voice of San Diego Subscribe to the Roundtable podcast on iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.

Death penalty suspended

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping order Wednesday to suspend California’s death penalty. The order grants executions reprieves to more than 700 condemned inmates on death row. The governor’s office said the action will suspend executions as long as Newsom is governor. Newsom said he is also considering commuting death sentences. He also plans on pushing to repeal capital punishment either through the courts or at the ballot box.

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College admissions scandal

The fallout continues from the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Students fought back in court against campuses caught in the bribery scandal, claiming they were denied a fair shot at admission. The federal investigation covers schools around the nation including the University of San Diego.

Salton Sea challenges

Visitors who have flocked to the Salton Sea for years have witnessed a changing ecosystem. As the lake changes, so does the local bird populations. Plus, state efforts to manage the retreating waters also remains largely unfunded. And one key habitat restoration project is behind schedule.

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Public records debate

State Sen. Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) pulled back a proposal to change the way people accessed public records Tuesday, following push back from news organizations and other elected officials. San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott sponsored the bill. Critics said the measure introduced changes and standards that would have made it more difficult to access public records.

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Kris Vera-Phillips

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Kris Vera-Phillips previously managed KPBS Evening Edition and KPBS Roundtable. As a Next Generation Leadership fellow, Kris worked with NPR, American Public Media and other organizations to launch the Public Media Village at the 2016 National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference. She also serves as a board member and external affairs liaison for the San Diego chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. Her work has been recognized by the Associated Press Television-Radio Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Before KPBS News, she produced news shows and news specials at CBS and NBC in San Francisco. She also produced news programs and digital content in Sacramento and Topeka, Kansas. She managed special coverage of live events including the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Beyond the newsroom, Kris taught American broadcast news classes at St. Petersburg State University in Russia. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Outside of the newsroom, her favorite production is all about her family: her husband, cocker spaniel and and the latest addition to her pack, Alexander.

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Mark Sauer

A newspaperman for more than 30 years, Mark Sauer joined KPBS in October 2010 and previously served as the host of the KPBS Roundtable. He spent 27 years as a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune after stints at The Houston Post and at two papers in his native Michigan. A features/human-interest writer in the UT's Currents section for many years, Mark also spent about a third of his UT career as an editor and reporter on the Metro Desk. He has covered a wide range of events: Wild fires in Southern California and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast; Super Bowls and the World Series; foster care and child-abuse issues; the Roman Catholic Diocese's sexual-abuse scandal and bankruptcy; royal visits of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Diana; Republican and Democratic national conventions; high-profile criminal trials; and many other stories, from the silly to the sublime. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from presidents to pan-handlers. His work exposing the false accusations and prosecutions of several San Diegans for murder, rape and child abuse garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations and many regional and local journalism awards, including Best in the West, the Sol Price Award for Responsible Journalism and several San Diego and California bar-association awards. Mark has a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.

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