In yet another instance of Democratic hypocrisy regarding the coronavirus pandemic, Democratic San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo reportedly celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends despite urging residents to “cancel” big gatherings for the holiday.
What are the details?
On Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving, and likely well after most had already made plans for the holiday, Liccardo took to Twitter to tell residents that gathering for the holiday would be dangerous.
“Cases are spiking, in part because we’re letting our guard (and masks) down with family & friends. Let’s cancel the big gatherings this year and focus on keeping each other safe,” he wrote.
Cases are spiking, in part because we’re letting our guard (and masks) down with family & friends. Let’s cancel th… https://t.co/89SpdDngcq
— Sam Liccardo (@Sam Liccardo)1606307654.0
But then on Monday, KNTV-TV investigators reported that Liccardo had “celebrated with his elderly parents at their Saratoga home with an unknown number of other guests.”
The mayor’s staff reportedly confirmed the dinner took place, but did not disclose to the local news outlet how many individuals attended or how many separate households were present.
In response to the news story, the mayor’s chief of staff said, “This is a private event — not public. We are going to redraw the line between what is personal and what is public because that line has become blurred.”
No matter the size of the gathering or the number of household’s present, the celebration was a departure from the mayor’s reported plans for the holiday.
When pressed by KNTV-TV about the mayor’s Thanksgiving plans earlier in the week, his press team told reporters he would be celebrating the holiday by “staying home” with his immediate family. But the day after Thanksgiving, the mayor’s office said that a spokesperson “misspoke” and clarified that Liccardo spent the holiday at his parents’ home with family.
Anything else?
What is perhaps even worse is that the mayor appears to have skirted local health guidelines by partaking in the Thanksgiving celebration.
Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County’s health officer, instructed residents during a town hall earlier this month, “Keep your holiday gatherings to your immediate household members only. I cannot emphasize enough, gathering with friends and family who are not in your household is not safe.”
On the day before Thanksgiving, the county COVID-19 testing officer, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, told residents that they should look forward to gathering with family and friends next year.
“The hope is that next year, we can enjoy our Thanksgivings with our families and our winter holidays also, but this year we just have to be more strict, because it’s going to protect your family, yourself, your co-workers and it will allow people to not have to go into the hospital,” he said.