Mansoor seeks limiting pardoning power

Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) wants to limit the governor’s power to pardon.

Mansoor, who represents the Costa Mesa-area 68th District, introduced constitutional amendments that would, if passed by voters, require the governor to give a 30-day notice before allowing pardons, reprieves or commutations, he said.

Mansoor’s request comes on the heels of the commutation of Esteban Nuñez’ sentence by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on his last day in office.

Nuñez, the son of former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, was convicted in an attack that left San Diego Mesa College student Luis Santos, 21, dead, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

Santos was attending a college fraternity party in 2008 when the attack took place.

Schwarzenegger reduced Nuñez’ 16-year sentence to seven years, without notifying Santos’ family, said Saulo Londono, Mansoor’s spokesman. The move angered the family.

“It’s about victims’ rights,” Mansoor said Thursday. “In this situation, the sentence was reduced without any notification to the victim’s family or the district attorney’s office. It doesn’t take into consideration all the work done by the court and jurors. I think it’s simple respect to notify the victim’s family before reducing the sentence.”

Schwarzenegger sent a letter apologizing to the Santos family, according to a Los Angeles Times story.