‘Should have modeled better behavior,’ California governor says after attending party that breaks his own strict Covid-19 advice

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the latest public official in hot water over his behavior during Covid-19 restrictions as he reportedly attended a birthday party with over 12 people from more than three different households.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday that Newsom, along with his wife, attended the birthday party of advisor Jason Kinney in Yountville earlier this month.

State guidelines in California state that gatherings that have more than three households in attendance are prohibited. 

A spokesperson for Newsom defended the party, saying health guidelines were followed and it was held outdoors, which is recommended for social gatherings during the pandemic. They did not deny, however, that more than three households were in attendance. 

According to The Chronicle, Newsom warned that people are “letting their guard down” when it comes to Covid-19 restrictions at a press conference this week. He also warned there are dangers to mixing households during the holidays, and said social gatherings are driving up cases in the state.

“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,” he said on Monday.

Following the defense from his representative, Newsom issued a statement acknowledging he should have “modeled better behavior.”

“While our family followed the restaurant’s health protocols and took safety precautions, we should have modeled better behavior and not joined the dinner,” he said. 

Newsom has been slammed on social media as a hypocrite for his decision to attend the party.

“More ‘do as I say, not as I do’ from public officials. Again, hurts public trust. Sorry if I'm a broken record on this, but I think it's serious,” author Daniel Darling tweeted. 

“We're all equal, right? Except some are more equal than others,” writer Mary Chastain added. 

California has recorded over one million cases of Covid-19, as well as more than 18,000 deaths.

Criticism of Newsom follows on the heels of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot facing similar hypocrisy accusations after issuing a stay-at-home order in her state only days after attending a massive gathering of Joe Biden supporters.

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