COVID In San Francisco: Mayor London Breed Faces Scrutiny After Dining At French Laundry
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – San Francisco Mayor London Breed dined at the French Laundry in Napa Valley with several people last month, the latest elected official to face scrutiny for attending a gathering while also urging people to stay home to slow the coronavirus.
Breed's office told KPIX 5 that she was at a friend's birthday dinner with seven other people at the famed restaurant in Yountville, confirming an earlier report in the San Francisco Chronicle. The dinner was held at an open-air table and that she paid for her own meal, the mayor's office said.
At the time, both indoor and outdoor dining were allowed in Napa County and in San Francisco. It's unclear how many households gathered for the meal.
A spokesperson for Breed's office said the mayor, "has always been cautious when she is dining out. 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."
Breed dined at the French Laundry the night after Gov. Gavin Newsom was spotted at the restaurant with at least 12 people in attendance.
Newsom apologized for attending, saying "we should have modeled better behavior."
Revelations of Breed's trip to the French Laundry also come as another Bay Area mayor, Sam Liccardo of San Jose, apologized after attending a Thanksgiving dinner at his parents' home that violated the state's guidance on private gatherings. Before Thanksgiving, Liccardo posted a tweet urging residents to "cancel the big gatherings this year" due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
