Man convicted in Santa Cruz County of transporting, selling controlled substance pardoned by Governor
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) A man has received a full pardon from Gov. Gavin Newsom for a crime committed in 1975.
According to the state, Michael Nixon was convicted of transporting or selling a controlled substance in Santa Cruz County when he was 23 years old, and he was sentenced to 3 years of probation and 120 days in jail.
Nixon has followed procedures to restore civic rights and responsibilities after finishing his sentence, according to the state, so a Tulare County court granted him a Certificate of Rehabilitation in January of last year based on evidence that he has been living an upright life.
The court also recommended that the state should grant Nixon a full pardon.
Newsom signed off on the pardon Tuesday, and he was one of 22 people to receive a pardon. Newsom also granted 13 commutations and four medical reprieves.
"This act of clemency for Mr. Nixon does not minimize or forgive his conduct or the harm it caused. It does recognize the work he has done since to transform himself," the state wrote in the pardon.
According to the Office of the Governor, a pardon could remove barriers to employment and public service, restore civic rights and responsibilities and prevent some consequences of conviction that include deportation and permanent family separation. It does not expunge or erase a conviction.
