San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo finds himself under criticism yet again after skirting health protocols in celebrating Thanksgiving Day at his parents’ home in Saratoga.
A statement through spokeswoman Rachel Davis revealed that Liccardo was one of eight family members from five households who gathered together for the holiday feast in violation of public health guidelines.
“I understand that the state regulations, issued on Nov. 13 , limit the number of households at a private gathering to three,” Liccardo said. “I apologize for my decision to gather contrary to state rules, by attending this Thanksgiving meal with my family. I understand my obligation as a public official to provide exemplary compliance with the public health orders, and certainly not to ignore them. I commit to do better.”
I apologize for my decision to gather for Thanksgiving with my family, contrary to the rules. I understand my obligation as a public official to provide exemplary compliance w/ public health orders, & not to ignore them. I commit to do better. My statement: pic.twitter.com/LFhX2LCUf3
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) December 1, 2020
In the midst of record-breaking coronavirus infection rates, Liccardo’s decision to bypass health recommendations is a particularly bad look after he implored his 33,000-plus Twitter followers last week to “focus on keeping each other safe.”
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 https://t.co/oHFXb6DZ82
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) November 25, 2020
The Liccardo family took precautions during the holiday meal, he said, as they “sat around three distanced tables in our own family groups on the back patio.” Dinner guests also wore masks while not eating, the mayor added.
“I have a very large family—I am one of five children—and several of our family members who would have often joined us for Thanksgiving in the past—including sisters, nephews, nieces, and cousins—stayed home out of caution,” Liccardo said.
This isn’t the first time Liccardo has skirted rules his constituents were advised to follow.
When the city enacted a curfew on May 31 in the aftermath of the protests fueled by anger and heartbreak over the George Floyd killing, Liccardo broke the citywide order three times in a span of four days—all to squeeze in some evening bike rides.
San Jose Dem Mayor @sliccardo apology for breaking his own lockdown rules
NOT ACCEPTED
he did this AFTER Gavin Newsom ripped up the rules and flushed them down the French Laundry toilet
his actions show he KNOWS the rules are pseudo-scientific BS. he, or the rules, should go! https://t.co/dq6fi7JPvD
— steve hilton (@SteveHiltonx) December 1, 2020
While some commended Liccardo for ’fessing up, the mayor’s latest misstep has invited a firestorm of criticism and drawn comparisons to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s infamous French Laundry soiree and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s scofflaw salon visit.
California has the most intense lockdowns and no politician in the state from @GavinNewsom to @SheilaKuehl to this asshat are following their own bullshit..... just open up the whole state you hypocritical fascists. https://t.co/TrrK30CmxO
— ShadowandSelf (@ShadowandSelf) December 1, 2020
It’s also supplied anti-maskers with plenty of ammo—as evidenced by the reams of scolding replies to the mayor’s Twitter apology.
A host of people on social media are citing Liccardo’s disregard for the rules as an example of a public official expecting “rules for three, but not for me.”
how about next time not making some arbitrary rule you yourself know is bullshit.
Then you wont have to apologize for breaking your own arbitrary bullshit rule.
Tyrant https://t.co/1E8yjNAlzI
— LeMay_Actual (@QueEsta3) December 1, 2020
Typical Sam. Rules don’t apply to him. Just like the curfew earlier this year during protests. Time for a new mayor. His 8 years can’t end soon enough!
> Time for a new mayor. His 8 years can’t end soon enough!
Sam’s reality is different than you imagine it to be.
Sam’s 8 years as mayor will end just in time for him to begin his 8 years as governor.
Didn’t Liccardo just plagiarize Newsom’s apology from last week? He should be “strong mayor” of Saratoga. At least Sheila Kuehl was dining in her own district before her ban went into effect.
I’ve become so accustomed to accepting apologies that I stand ready to fully accept the apology of the next driver than runs down this city’s favorite bicycling idiot.
The online criticism of Mayor Liccardo quoted in the article is fully justified.
We all have the constitutional right to to peaceably assemble, and that right certainly must subsume spending time with extended family on Thanksgiving, notwithstanding the exaggerated epidemic. Liccardo, like the governor, the mayor of San Francisco, and other California pols, flaunts the COVID edicts because he knows they are mostly unlawful and, in any event, there is no actual safety concern. If these officials were truly scared, they wouldn’t keep making these supposed mistakes.
Liccardo (who previously flaunted a municipal curfew) issued an apology worse than his offense, by suggesting he did anything wrong, apart from being a virtue-signaling hypocrite. Liccardo’s real offense is in failing to exercise leadership in defending the Constitution he took an oath to uphold. A real leader would have issued a statement saying there is nothing wrong with spending time with one’s extended family on Thanksgiving.
you people are so dumb
of course he breaks the rules, he know they are bs, just like Newsom, just like Pelosi, just like the rioters and looters
but you actually think they are required, chuuuummmpp
don’t be mad at Sam, be mad at yourself, but that is who are mad at if you are honest with yourself
for believing these petty “overlords”, for destroying your own business, for putting yourself in rent debt
it is all your fault, now eat your cake
good on’ya Sam, maybe you actually do have a clue
“Leaders lead”, so follow the leaders. Newsom & Liccardo have shown us just what to do…. visit parents, siblings and their spouses, and even those outside of your home.
I noticed no mention of his wife’s family. Are we to believe they don’t visit with them also?
If you are among the vulnerable or don’t feel well, stay home. Wear a mask when in stores or in close contact. Cases don’t equal deaths. Our death rate in SCC stays at 1.5%.
Folliw the actions of our “leaders”. Life is short. Go out and live it.
Why is this newsworthy? Why is anybody surprised, particularly SJI? I been trying to expose Mayor Liccardo for the corrupt, dishonset hypocrite that he is. Only a few seems to listen or even cares, certainly not SJI. To support my claim, here is a comment I posted to an article back in June. Mayor Liccardo knows that no one is going to hold him accountable. Of course he will break any rules, even those that he sets.
Fred Bates Jun 24, 2020 @ 4:26 pm
This comment is to set the record straight. It is in response to SJOutsideTheBubble’s above comment on Jun 20 @1:01pm. In that comment, SJOutsideTheBuble had a few things to say about my two comments posted earlier that day alleging that Mayor Liccardo, the City Council and the City Attorney’s Office engaged in very serious criminal misconduct during litigation of two lawsuits I filed against the City for racial and disability discrimination. I am black/African American. The point I was trying to make with my comments is that the Mayor and Councilmember Peralez have no moral authority when it comes to addressing racism because of the racist treatment I received at the hands of City officials. That’s it! I never said Kansen Chu was racist. All I pointed out was others had called him a racist and that others had talked about systemic racism in the police department. I never said that I believed any of that nonsense was true, because I don’t. Again, the only purpose of my comments was to expose the racist and criminal misconduct of Mayor Liccardo, Councilmember Peralez and many other City officials. It was also meant to point out the City’s blatant hypocrisy and double standard. If a rank and file police officer had engaged in half the misconduct I allege against the Mayor and other top City’s officials they would have been fired already. I was hoping that someone would recognize the serious nature of the allegations I make and call for an investigation. It is clear that is not going to happen; not by SJI, SJOutsideTheBubble or anyone else. So SJOutsideTheBubble don’t involve me in this insincere debate about defunding the police or the history of policing and racism in San Jose. But I will be glad to have a debate with you about the corruption and criminal misconduct of the officials over at City Hall.
Additional information about Mayor Liccardo’s corruption can be found at this link:
https://crnctz.blogspot.com/2018/06/san-jose-mayor-sam-liccardo-and-san.html
Just as Mayor Liccardo has not been held accountable for his actions back in June 2020, he will not be held accountable for breaking COVID -19 rules.
I won’t be voting for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo any more, for any future public office.
Power is with the people, and when the majority of people are just plain STUPID, this is what we get! Stupid people voting in stupid leaders. There are more stupid people these days, and I can’t stand stupid people.
He’s sorry my a**. And the stupid people will believe he is.
> Power is with the people, and when the majority of people are just plain STUPID, this is what we get! Stupid people voting in stupid leaders.
Democracy:
1.) Majority rule by the stupidest and most easily manipulated 51 percent.
2.) The organizing principle of the Democratic Party.
It’s hard to blame voters when politicians perform a bait-and-switch. I voted for Sam Liccardo, both for city council (twice) and for mayor (twice) and now regret having done so. He is no longer the person we elected. This latest episode is only one of many recent examples of egregiously poor leadership.
Hey Sam! Frank Ocean!
> SJ Mayor Apologizes for Flouting Covid Rules on Thanksgiving
I’m not satisfied with the amount of punishment Sam has received.
I still think there should be more punishment.