San Francisco Mayor London Breed is being criticized for attending a birthday dinner with a party of eight on Nov. 7 at the city’s French Landry restaurant in Napa Valley.
Breed’s dinner came just one day after Gov. Gavin Newsome attended a separate birthday dinner on Nov. 6at the same restaurant in a similar room, which he was also heavily criticized for.
The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the story about Breed’s dinner, saying Breed attended socialite Corretti Lo Lui’s 60th Birthday.
A spokesperson for Breed confirmed the mayor did attend a “small family birthday dinner” at the three-star Michelin restaurant.
“On Nov. 7, while taking a few days off after the election, she (London Breed) attended a small family birthday dinner for a friend at an open-air table at the French Laundry. There were eight people in total, including herself,” press director Andy Lynch told ABC News.
The Chronicle’s story broke days after Breed, who was among the first of public officials to declare a state of emergency as a result of covid-19, urged San Franciscans to “do their part” and follow covid-19 guidelines.
“I cannot emphasize enough how important it is that everyone act responsibly to reduce the spread of the virus,” Breed said on Nov. 10. “Every San Franciscan needs to do their part so that we can start moving in the right direction again.”
Breed also attended the dinner at the restaurant just three days before she banned indoor dining in her city again. Breed’s spokesperson said the mayor has returned to her initial stance because cases are surging across the U.S.
“Now, with cases rising, and Bay Area counties moving back into the purple tier, she is once again limiting her actions and is encouraging all San Franciscans to do the same,” Lynch continued.
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The Chronicle’s article also noted that “indoor dining was allowed in Napa County at the time with no specified limit on the number of households.”
However that hasn’t stopped backlash. Breed is one of a handful of prominent Democrats who are being criticized for not practicing what they preached, reported The Washington Post.
For his part, Newsome apologized, saying attending the dinner was “a big mistake.”
“The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradictory, and I’ve got to own that,” Newsome said. “Instead of sitting down, I should have stood up and walked back out to my car.”