California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom attended a multi-family birthday party for one of his political advisers last week that reportedly included over a dozen people, which goes against the types of gatherings that his administration has warned people about having.
“The dinner the night of Nov. 6 at the famed French Laundry in Yountville in Napa County brought together at least 12 people to celebrate the 50th birthday of Jason Kinney, a longtime friend and political adviser to Newsom who is also a partner at the lobbying firm Axiom Advisors,” The San Francisco Chronicle reported. “State guidelines limit gatherings, defined as ‘social situations that bring together people from different households at the same time in a single space or place,’ to no more than three households. Representatives for Kinney and Newsom declined to specify how many households the diners represented, but did not dispute that it was more than three.”
The California Department of Public Health says that “gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited.”
A spokesperson for Newsom defended the governor’s decision to attend the event, saying that the event happened outdoors.
Newsom issued a statement, saying, “While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner.”
The San Francisco Chronicle noted that Newsom has started to emphasize stricter coronavirus guidelines heading into the Fall and Winter months as cases continue to climb around the country.
“It’s for obvious reasons. People are letting their guard down,” Newsom said. “They’re taking their masks off. They’re starting to get together outside of their household cohorts. They’re starting to see businesses reopen and we’re starting, again, to see more people mixing. As it gets colder, we’ll see more still.”
Newsom’s flaunting of the rules comes as other Democrats have been caught violating coronavirus guidelines, the most notable example being House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Fox News reported:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a San Francisco hair salon on Monday afternoon for a wash and blow-out, despite local ordinances keeping salons closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, Fox News has learned.
In security footage obtained by Fox News, and timestamped Monday at 3:08 p.m. Pacific Time, the California powerhouse is seen walking through ESalonSF in San Francisco with wet hair, and without a mask over her mouth or nose.
The stylist doing her hair can be seen following her wearing a black face mask.
Salons in San Francisco had been closed since March and were only notified they could reopen on Sept. 1 for outdoor hairstyling services only.
President Donald Trump responded to the story by writing on Twitter: “Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask – despite constantly lecturing everyone else. We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!”
Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask – despite constantly lecturing everyone else. We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 2, 2020