How can’t a Governor’s pardon help me?

Like a Certificate of Rehabilitation, a pardon is still a limited remedy. There are certain things that a pardon does NOT do for you:

    A pardon does NOT seal or erase the record of your conviction[3180] (But you may still get the conviction dismissed, if you meet all the other requirements—see PG. 960);
    A Pardon does NOT allow you to say that you’ve never been convicted of a felony on applications for employment, housing, or professional licenses— you must still disclose the conviction[3181] (But you may still get the felony reduced to a misdemeanor or reclassified under Prop. 47, if you meet all the other requirements for these remedies—see PG. 970);
    A Pardon does NOT prevent your conviction from being considered a “prior” if you are convicted of a new offense in the future;[3182]
    A Pardon does NOT restore your gun rights if you were convicted of a felony involving the use of a dangerous weapon;[3183]
    A Pardon is NOT a remedy for any convictions from another state or for federal convictions;[3184]
    A Pardon does NOT prevent you from being deported.[3185]
  1. 3180

    Cal. Penal Code § 4852.17; How to Apply for a Pardon, State of Cal. Office of the Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., (Sep. 5, 2015), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf. ↑

  2. 3181

    How to Apply for a Pardon, State of Cal. Office of the Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., (Sep. 5, 2015), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf. ↑

  3. 3182

    How to Apply for a Pardon, State of Cal. Office of the Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., (Sep. 5, 2015), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf. ↑

  4. 3183

    Cal. Penal Code §§ 4852.17, 4854. ↑

  5. 3184

    How to Apply for a Pardon, State of Cal. Office of the Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., (Sep. 5, 2015), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf. ↑

  6. 3185

    8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(A)(vi); How to Apply for a Pardon, State of California Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., (Sep. 5, 2015), http://gov.ca.gov/docs/How_To_Apply_for_a_Pardon.pdf. ↑