San Francisco mayor London Breed (D.) attended an indoor dinner party despite urging city residents to forgo social gatherings to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Breed celebrated a friend's birthday on Nov. 7 with seven others at French Laundry, a three-star Michelin restaurant in Napa County, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday. The party occurred just one night after California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) was spotted dining maskless at the same restaurant, Fox 11 Los Angeles first reported.
The November dinner party would have violated restrictions in Breed's home city of San Francisco, where restaurants are banned from allowing more than six diners to sit at one table, according to the Chronicle. At the time of the two dinners, state officials warned Californians against attending social gatherings—which were restricted to no more than three households—to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Despite attending parties themselves, Breed and Newsom asked constituents to refrain from gathering indoors. Just days after the dinner party, Breed stalled the reopening of indoor dining in San Francisco, saying citizens must "act responsibly to reduce the spread of the virus."
Breed and Newsom are among a handful of California Democrats who have attended dinners and other outings despite regulations barring their constituents from doing the same.
Earlier this year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a hair salon in San Francisco while the city had ordered salons to remain closed.
Los Angeles County supervisor Sheila Kuehl dined outdoors at a Santa Monica restaurant just hours after she voted to ban outdoor dining last week. And San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo visited his parents for Thanksgiving dinner despite telling city residents to avoid holiday gatherings.