Democratic LA Mayor Eric Garcetti says he held his breath during photo of him not wearing mask — despite local mask mandate — at NFL playoff game



Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he held his breath while a photo was taken of him not wearing a mask during Sunday's NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium — the home field of the Los Angeles Rams.

What are the details?

NBA legend Earvin Magic Johnson posted a photo of him standing next to Garcetti during the game; neither of them is wearing a mask. But a mask can be seen in Garcetti's hand while the photo — in the top-left corner of Johnson's tweet — was snapped:

Hanging out at SoFi Stadium today!pic.twitter.com/XfotiRLGz9
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@Earvin Magic Johnson) 1643597831

A local public health officer's order requires attendees of so-called outdoor “mega events" to wear masks at all times except when “actively eating or drinking," Deadline reported.

What did Garcetti have to say?

At a Wednesday afternoon press conference on safety and security for the Super Bowl — which, as it happens, also will take place at SoFi Stadium — Garcetti told reporters he held his breath while the photo in question was taken.

“I’ll take personal responsibility,” Garcetti said, according to Deadline. "And if it makes you and everyone else happy — or even the photographs with people where literally I’m holding my breath for two seconds — I won’t even do that.”

And according to KABC-TV, Garcetti also said during Wednesday's press conference that "I wore my mask the entire game. When people ask for a photograph, I hold my breath, and I put it here, and people can see that. There is a zero percent chance of infection from that."

Gov. Gavin Newsom seen maskless, too

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom also was photographed not wearing a mask while standing next to Johnson during the game. And although Newsom didn't claim he held his breath, the governor gave a decidedly strained response defending his actions.

“I was very judicious yesterday. Very judicious," Newsom said with a seemingly nervous laugh when asked Monday about the photo of him maskless.

He continued, according to Deadline, saying that "you’ll see the photo that I did take, Magic was kind enough, generous enough, to ask me for a photograph, and in my left hand’s the mask, and I took the photo. The rest of the time I wore it, as we all should, um — not when I had a glass of water — and I encourage everybody else to do so. And, uh, that’s it.”

The outlet added that Newsom also was asked if he should have thought twice about taking off his mask given the controversy after he was spotted maskless at the posh French Laundry restaurant in 2020: “Yes, of course. I was trying to be gracious. I made a mis — I was trying to be gracious. I took the mask off for a brief second but, no, I encourage people to continue to wear them."

But as TheBlaze noted Tuesday, photo evidence from Sunday's game shows Newsom's mask down and dangling from one ear at one point. He was not eating or drinking — and those around him also weren't wearing masks:

Gov. Newsom (right) with his face mask dangling from his earImage source: LA Rams "fan cam" screenshot

Deadline appears to concur:

Footage shown during the game, however, seemed to tell a different story. It begins with a shot of a maskless Jessica Alba before cutting to a smiling Magic Johnson greeting a man who appears from the back to be the governor — similar height, similar trucker hat, similar navy blue fleece. The man walks up and moves to slap hands. Neither Johnson nor the man who approaches him are wearing masks. Other images of Newsom, sitting with and without a mask at the game, have surfaced since.
Jessica Alba, Magic Johnson & Leonardo DiCaprio at the game #nfl #LARams #49erspic.twitter.com/3njIHlipjF
— Breaking Trends News (@Breaking Trends News) 1643593875

Pushback

Republican California state Sen. Melissa Melendez in a Twitter post criticized Newsom and Garcetti for their maskless mugs:

Toddlers are being forced to wear masks all day long in school. Maybe one day they\u2019ll be governor or the mayor of LA and they won\u2019t have the follow the rules they impose on others.pic.twitter.com/YGJDZeBxGA
— Senator Melissa Melendez (@Senator Melissa Melendez) 1643604049

"Toddlers are being forced to wear masks all day long in school," Melendez wrote. "Maybe one day they'll be governor or the mayor of L.A. and they won't have to follow the rules they impose on others."

Here's a report on the issue from KABC:

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti refuses offer to join Biden administration, says his daughter tested positive for coronavirus



Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said that President-elect Joe Biden offered him a position in his administration but that he turned it down.

Garcetti made the admission during a media briefing on Thursday about the spike in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County.

"There were things on the table for me but I said to (the Biden administration) very clearly ... I need to be here now," said Garcetti, without divulging what position Biden had offered him.

There had been speculation that he might be picked to head the Department of Transportation, but the Biden transition team announced Tuesday that former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Peter Buttigieg was to be nominated for that position instead.

Others questioned the timing of his announcement given that earlier on Thursday a judge had ordered Garcetti must testify in a lawsuit against the city by a Los Angeles police officer who accused a former mayoral aide of sexual harassment.

Self-quarantine

Garcetti also said that he and his wife were in self-quarantine after their 9-year-old daughter tested positive for the coronavirus.

"On Monday while I was at work, my wife called to let us know that our beloved daughter Maya, who turned nine this weekend, wasn't feeling very well. And after she came down with a fever, we had her tested for COVID-19, and her results came back positive," said Garcetti.

He went on to say that his daughter's symptoms were mild and that he and his wife had tested negative.

Garcetti has ordered renewed lockdowns after coronavirus spiked in a second wave in recent weeks. On Thursday California state health officials announced that intensive care units in Southern California were at full capacity, in spite of the fact that Los Angeles has consistently maintained some of the harshest COVID-19 policies in the country.

Some have questioned whether studies can justify such a draconian lockdown order given the negative consequences that will come from shutting down the economy and isolating so many people.

Here's the video of the briefing:

LA mayor and wife self-quarantine after daughter tests positive for COVID-19www.youtube.com

Thousands of fans ignore COVID rules to converge at LA Staples Center following Lakers' championship win; many target cops during chaos



A massive horde of NBA fans took to the streets of Los Angeles after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title. The Lakers won 106-93 over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the finals on Sunday night.

What are the details?

KABC-TV reported that thousands of people showed up on Figueroa Street outside Los Angeles' Staples Center, and some of them targeted police officers and their cruisers as officers were forced to declare the scene an unlawful assembly.

Days ahead of the Lakers' win, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti directed citizens to stay off of the streets due to COVID-19 restrictions.

On Friday, Garcetti said that NBA fans should not congregate on the streets during or after the game — which took place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida — either to celebrate a win or lament a loss.

"I encourage you to yell at the top of your lungs inside your homes, maybe even open up the window or step outside your door as we've done for our first responders and essential medical workers to thank them," Garcetti said. "Let's thank the Lakers when they win, but let's do it safe."

Garcetti also warned that disregarding his advice could sabotage "all the progress we have made in our fight against COVID-19."

"LAPD went into tactical alert and declared the gathering an unlawful assembly," KABC reported. "Cars were seen performing 'donuts' and 'burnouts,' some cars were swarmed by fans in the streets."

The report continued, "Multiple fireworks were set off and there were isolated reports of small groups throwing rocks and bottles at police."

The station noted that local police and California Highway Patrol officers shut down ramps leading to the downtown area during the melee.

Bleacher Report on Monday noted that many of the fans "began throwing beer bottles and other 'projectiles' at uniformed police officers that swarmed the area."

"The few isolated incidents soon grew to a large mob of sports fans which soon made their way down the streets of Los Angeles turning over police cars and breaking into local businesses," the outlet reported. "Some innocent bystanders became injured in the incident as the hoard [sic] came rushing down the streets."

The outlet added that police arrived on the scene en masse "with riot gear and shots of tear gas which were thrown into the mass of hysterical fans."

The Daily Mail also reported that "witnesses told the Los Angeles Times that officers also fired 'beanbag rounds' at one point, which sent some people running."

Lakers fans trashing police cars https://t.co/Koi9Rk5jvr
— NBA Central (@NBA Central)1602473794.0

(H/T: The Daily Wire)