San Francisco London Breed delivered an impassioned speech Friday about the city's move to start a stay-at-home order Dec. 6, and in the process addressed dining at the French Laundry in Yountville as part of a plea for residents to take the order seriously.
Breed was embroiled in controversy earlier this week when the Chronicle reported she had attended a friend's birthday dinner at The French Laundry, leading to criticism by detractors and locals. Although Breed said she technically did not break any rules with her dinner, she acknowledged that she broke "the spirit" of the law and pledged to do better.
"As I said yesterday, it doesn't matter if I was technically, if I wasn't technically violating local health orders, because I know that as mayor, I should hold myself to a higher standard — I understand that," Breed said. "My job just isn't to lead by the letter of the law, but to lead in the spirit of it. I understand that and I'm committed to doing better."
"This pandemic has been hard on all of us," Breed added. "There's no playbook for this. I know that none of us thought that in 2020, we'd be in the midst of a global pandemic. Who would have thought that this would have ever existed in our lifetimes? The impacts we've all experienced on our mental and emotional health have been tremendous, and that includes me. Every day, I do this job. I think about the people whose lives I'm responsible for, that the decisions I make impact people's jobs and their families. And I'm doing my very best for this city. No one is perfect, and certainly not me.
"As I've said, the criticism I've received is fair and I understand my responsibility, and I've learned from this moment," Breed continued. "I want everyone to recognize that people all around you are trying. They are trying to follow the orders. They are trying to hold it together. We are all trying, and it is hard, people are losing it. But we can't lose it on each other. We can't turn on each other. This isn't about me, I can take the criticism. I wouldn't be in this job if I couldn't.
"But to your neighbors, to your coworkers, to the people you see walking down the streets to the bus drivers, to our city workers — they're trying to keep us safe and healthy. So please, have a little understanding. The coming weeks are going to be even harder than ever before, but what we can do is to make sure that we get through this safely."
Friday's speech is Breed's first public comment on the French Laundry controversy aside from a similar statement she issued on Twitter Thursday, where she shared a San Francisco Chronicle editorial that criticized politicians who have been recently caught flouting their own COVID-19 policies.
"What I especially regret is that the urgency of our public health message in this moment has never been more dire and my actions have distracted from that," Breed said Thursday. "We're in a much different place than even just a few weeks ago and we need everyone to do their part, starting with me."
Breed was at the French Laundry on Nov. 7, the day after California Gov. Gavin Newsom dined at the restaurant for a small party.
Eight people, including the mayor, dined together at a small birthday party for a friend on Nov. 7, Andy Lynch, press director for the Office of the Mayor, told SFGATE.
The friend was socialite Gorretti Lo Lui, who was celebrating her 60th birthday, the Chronicle reported.
December 05, 2020 at 06:19AM
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/London-Breed-French-Laundry-apology-San-Francisco-15776946.php
London Breed addresses trip to French Laundry as she announces new shutdown orders - SFGate
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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