PICTURED: Gavin Newsom at Michelin star restaurant birthday party where he dined in a group of 12 without wearing a mask - despite telling Californians they can only celebrate Thanksgiving outside
Photos have emerged of California governor Gavin Newsom dining in a semi-indoor Michelin star restaurant on November 6 with a group of 11 friends just days before advising Californians not to host indoor Thanksgiving dinners.
Newsom and his wife attended the birthday party at The French Laundry, a famous restaurant in Napa Valley, on November 6.
They are shown in photos, sitting at a round table without masks on. It was a 50th birthday party for Jason Kinney, one of Newsom's political advisers, and witnesses from the restaurant say that at one stage, the doors were closed so the group was completely inside.
Before the photos emerged, Newsom apologized for the outing, he should not have gone and should be setting a better example. He also claimed he did not know how many people would be there.
'I made a bad mistake. should have stood up and … drove back to my house. The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradicted. I need to preach and practice, not just preach.
'You have to own it, and you have to be forthright and I’m doing my best every single day in trying to model better behavior,' he said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is shown above, left, sitting with ten others in the indoor/outdoor dining room at The French Laundry on November 6, without a mask. The photos were obtained by Fox 11 LA via a Twitter user
After the dinner, Newsom and his wife spoke with some friends. Witnesses say that the doors were open to begin with, meaning the group were somewhat indoors, but that staff closed them because the group was too loud
This is the dining room where Gavin Newsom ate on November 6 with at least ten others. None were wearing masks and witnesses say the restaurant shut french doors on the group because they were being so loud, turning it from a partially outdoor room into one that was completely indoors
Newsom (pictured during a lockdown announcement) was sitting in a private room with a glass door which was closed at one point because the group was being loud, the witness said
Example of the menu at the 3-star Michelin restaurant where Gov. Newsom dined with his 11 friends. The hand rolled ricotta dish with truffles carries a $175 supplement
A witness from his dinner told Fox11 Los Angeles: 'There was a very loud party going on in a room 20 feet from us.
'It got louder and louder and so the had some sliding glass doors that they were able to close, so then it was a closed-off room.'
NEWSOM'S THANKSGIVING RULES
'I happened to look over and realized, hey is that Gavin Newsom? I did ask one of the waitresses and she confirmed it was.
'Nobody was wearing a mask. It was a very large group of people shoulder to shoulder, something that he’s always telling us not to do so it was a bit annoying.'
Kinney's spokesman previously said the dinner was outdoors.
'This was a small, intimate, 12-person dinner held outdoors with family and a few close friends to celebrate a 50th birthday,' said Molly Weedn, a spokeswoman for Kinney.
'The restaurant was open for normal dining, consistent with state and county health guidance. All of the restaurant safety protocols were adhered to — and the guests followed those protocols.'
The room is closed on three sides and covered by a roof, with a large glass sliding door opening out into a courtyard at the front.
A door appears to have been pulled halfway across the room, and guests can be seen sitting in their coats.
Guests are clearly not wearing face masks - something that is recommended but not required while dining - and are sitting less than 6ft away from each-other.
California guidelines issued on October 9 and in place when the dinner took place on November 6 state: 'Gatherings may occur in outdoor spaces... provided that at least three sides of the space (or 75%) are open to the outdoors.
'Seating must provide at least 6 feet of distance (in all directions—front-to-back and side-to-side) between different households. Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited.'
However, separate guidelines for restaurants in place at the same time say only that outdoor seating should be 'prioritized' and that guests can be seated within 6ft.
He claims he didn't know there would be so many people there.
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On the issue of households, the guidelines state only: 'Limit the number of patrons at a single table to a household unit or patrons who have asked to be seated together.'
Newsom, who plunged the vast majority of California into the strictest tier of restrictions this week, had previously acknowledged the party was 'a bad mistake'.
But his spokesman denied that any rules had been broken, saying the governor had 'followed public health guidelines and the restaurant’s health protocols'.
Newsom's office told Fox News that they would not be commenting on the specifics of the witness's account, or details contained in the photographs.
News of the dinner emerged as case numbers in California rose and as Newsom chastised people for 'letting their guard down' during gatherings.
On Monday, that case rise prompted Newsom to shut down indoor activities for 94 percent of the state and pause the reopening plan.
Newsom said 41 of California’s 58 counties will move into the purple COVID-19 reopening risk tier starting Tuesday, saying he was hitting the 'emergency brake'.
Newsom plunged most of California back into the strictest reopening measures on Monday after a spike in cases, after chastising people for 'letting their guard down'
California has now logged more than 1million cases of Covid and 18,000 deaths, with cases now rising at the fastest rate ever
Under the purple tier indoor operations for museums, houses of worship, gyms and restaurants are not allowed. Bars that don’t provide food, concert venues, schools, and theme parks are also closed.
Counties going under the purple tier include Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Napa - where the restaurant he attended is located - and Solano counties in the Bay Area as well as Los Angeles.
Newsom said cases are now rising at their fastest rate since the start of the pandemic.
On Monday, California had logged 1,029,235 cases, 18,263 deaths and had a positivity rate of 4.6 percent – up three percent from October 29.
In the past two weeks in California there has been a 48 percent increase in hospital beds used by COVID-19 patients and the number of ICU patients has also risen 38 percent over the same time period.
'We are sounding the alarm. The spread of COVID-19, if left unchecked, could quickly overwhelm our health care system and lead to catastrophic outcomes,' Newsom said.
'Bottom line is, we’re moving from a marathon to a sprint,' he said.
Newsom said that more tier announcements will be made as necessary and that counties can move back more than one tier at a time.
Furthermore, California is also requiring people to wear a mask whenever outside of their home, with a few exceptions. State officials are also debating placing a curfew.