California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom just issued a month-long curfew for most of the state that takes effect on Saturday night. Earlier this week, he announced state authorities were “pulling the emergency brake,” explaining drastic changes like tightening mask requirements were necessary to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19. He said 94% of the state’s population, or approximately 37 million people, would now reside in counties under the strictest “purple” tier of his reopening plan. Meanwhile, the threat of another economy-damaging stay-at-home order looms for more than ten million people who live in Los Angeles County.
After eight months of fluctuating restrictions, the stated objective remains to “flatten the curve.” But recent events have caused a growing number of Californians to question the moral authority of elected officials who seem to ignore the same guidelines they push onto their constituents.
As GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel recently tweeted: “The list goes on and on with Democrat leaders from California and beyond saying: Lockdowns and restrictions for thee, but not for me!”
Here are seven times California Democrats got caught skirting COVID-19 protocols:
1. Governor Gavin Newsom
On Monday, Gov. Newsom apologized for attending a Nov. 6 dinner party with about a dozen other people at the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley. More than three households were present, a violation of the mandatory guidelines for social gatherings set forth by the California Department of Public Health at the time.
Newsom said the birthday celebration had taken place outdoors, but images obtained by an investigative reporter in L.A. called that claim into question.
EXCLUSIVE: We've obtained photos of Governor Gavin Newsom at the Napa dinner party he's in hot water over. The photos call into question just how outdoors the dinner was. A witness who took photos tells us his group was so loud, the sliding doors had to be closed. 10pm on @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/gtOVEwa864
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 18, 2020
An unidentified woman who said she recognized Newsom at the ritzy eatery shared the photos with FOX 11 News. The anonymous source said a waitress confirmed the governor was among the guests.
“I was able to document this, especially since nobody was wearing a mask,” she told FOX. “It was a very large group of people shoulder to shoulder, something that he’s always telling us not to do, so yeah, it was a bit annoying for sure.”
2. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
Earlier this week, Garcetti warned the city, “L.A. is in a very dangerous situation.”
He instructed Angelenos to stay home as much as possible, avoid social gatherings, and “assume everyone you encounter outside of your home is infectious.”
In early June, however, media coverage captured a maskless mayor surrounded by protesters outside L.A. City Hall.
.@MayorOfLA Eric Garcetti, who wore a mask in the middle of an empty Dodger Stadium, showed up mask-free to the #BlackLivesMatter protest. Have these demagogues no shame? pic.twitter.com/xE22Nd9cUE
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 3, 2020
As the L.A. Times reported at the time:
It was the kind of scene that, it seems, only this tumultuous year of 2020 could produce.
With the National Guard patrolling the streets of Los Angeles after several nights of looting, violence and fires, hundreds of people gathered downtown to protest the death of George Floyd and police brutality against so many other black people. After weeks of calls for strict social distancing amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Eric Garcetti joined the crowd, took a knee and pulled down his blue Los Angeles Dodgers face mask to speak.
As he spoke, chants rang out: “Defund the police!”
Garcetti initially said that there was no evidence to support the conclusion that mass protests contributed to a spike in COVID-19 infections over the summer but later acknowledged a connection.
“It’s not the act of protesting – that’s a great and American thing to do no matter what your opinion is,” he said. “But protesting without maintaining physical distancing, without wearing your mask, without having sanitizer, we just have to be smart.”
3 & 4. U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
87-year-old Sen. Feinstein is the eldest member of the Senate. According to the CDC, “the greatest risk for severe illness from COVID-19 is among those aged 85 or older.”
On Tuesday, she was captured on video speaking in close proximity to two masked individuals without wearing a face covering herself. The discussion took place in a Senate hallway before a hearing with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey.
Dems constantly tiptoe around Feinstein because they want to avoid what she's known for: harsh lectures
Yet here she is flouting all the guidelines. It's not the first time she's done it
I hope she'll get a lecture from the Dems who have been rightly calling out Republicans https://t.co/K1VUOH1pLe
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 17, 2020
The day before the clip went viral, Feinstein’s Twitter account had posted, “We must continue doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
“Please wear a mask,” the tweet continued. “Maintain social distance.”
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Feinstein often has been seen in the Capitol without a mask, though she has voiced support for mask mandates, a political hotbutton in some states.”
Feinstein was also spotted walking through an airport in September without a face covering after saying the Federal Aviation Administration should require masks be worn inside airplanes and passenger terminals.
Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein is a total hypocrite.
Here she is pictured at Dulles Airport on Friday without at a mask.
NOTE: Back in June, Feinstein wrote a letter to the FAA calling for mandatory masks on airlines. pic.twitter.com/IOYsv8UZDl
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 29, 2020
5 & 6. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
As elected officials across the country discourage family get-togethers during the Thanksgiving holiday, House Speaker Pelosi recently planned an indoor banquet to celebrate newly elected Democratic members of Congress.
Pelosi, 80, told NBC News that there would be enhanced ventilation and said the Capitol physician had approved the event.
“It’s very spaced,” Pelosi said.
House Dem and GOP leaders are holding respective dinners for new members.
.@SpeakerPelosi told me it’s safe. “It’s very spaced,” she said and there is enhanced ventilation and the Capitol physician signed off. pic.twitter.com/ZXjf72lnrP
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) November 13, 2020
The affair had been scheduled for last Friday but was called off after a photograph of the indoor venue circulated on social media.
It wasn’t the first time the speaker had been accused of hypocrisy during the pandemic.
In September, Pelosi said she was set up to be videotaped not wearing a face covering. Security camera footage showed a mask-free Pelosi walking through a San Francisco hair salon in a robe after getting her hair washed, disobeying the city’s public health restrictions.
Tucker Carlson just showed the Nancy Pelosi hair salon video to his millions of viewers.
Incredible. pic.twitter.com/JybNAjASeh
— Evan Kilgore 🇺🇸 (@EvanAKilgore) September 2, 2020
“I just thought about my staff and people not being able to work and make money and provide for their families,” eSalon owner Erica Kious told Tucker Carlson on FOX News. “And if she’s in there comfortably, without a mask and feeling safe, then why are we shut down?”
Here's Nancy Pelosi's response when asked about her visit to a San Francisco hair salon. https://t.co/IQKWpWsGE0
"I take responsibility for falling for a set up," Pelosi said. pic.twitter.com/IqzJVCCKFu
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) September 2, 2020
7. Several state lawmakers who recently traveled to Hawaii.
The L.A. Times reports at least five Democrats and four Republicans serving in the California State Legislature recently flew to Maui to attend a conference hosted by a San Diego-based group. The four-day event began Monday, three days after Gov. Newsom issued a travel advisory urging people to avoid non-essential travel.
According to the L.A. Times, the lawmakers drew “sharp criticism back in California, where observers say it sends the wrong message for legislators to leave the state and gather at a resort when COVID-19 cases are surging, leading to tougher restrictions on the movement of average residents.”
Some politicians defended the Hawaii trip, where one of the topics reportedly addressed at the conference was how to reopen states safely during the pandemic.
Facing increasing criticism, California legislators defend Hawaii trip during COVID-19 surge https://t.co/FvfOlSSCIw
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 19, 2020
The outlet went on to identify elected officials who it had confirmed attended the conference. They include Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa, Democratic Assembly members Blanca Rubio of Baldwin Park, Mike Gipson of Carson, Wendy Carrillo of L.A., and Jose Medina of Riverside. Chad Mayes, a former Republican from Rancho Mirage who was re-elected last month with no party affiliation, also reportedly attended. GOP Assembly members Frank Bigelow of O’Neals, Heath Flora of Ripon, and Jordan Cunningham of Paso Robles were also there, the report said, along with Republican Sen. Andreas Borgeas of Modesto.
Newsom’s recent advisory asks them to quarantine for 14 days after re-entering California.