Schwarzenegger has the authority to commute a death sentence to life without parole, but he is not obligated to hold a hearing. In Schwarzenegger's case, he decides clemency requests on a "case-by-case basis," spokeswoman Margita Thompson said.

"The governor reviewed the material in the case this week," Thompson said late Friday. "He decided the best route is a private clemency hearing, so he can hear directly from counsel."

Williams, 51, faces a lethal injection on Dec. 13 for the 1979 slayings of a Whittier convenience store clerk and three people at a Pico Rivera motel. He has maintained his innocence and has asked the California Supreme Court to reopen his case, alleging shoddy forensics wrongly connected him to three of the murders. The Supreme Court hasn't ruled on the petition.

"Stanley "Tookie" Williams is not a regular guy, he's an inspiration," Snoop Dogg said. "All I want to say to the governor is it's about keeping this man alive because his voice needs to be heard."

Williams, who has written a series of books warning youth about the dangers of gangs, has won over high-profile supporters including Jamie Foxx.