INGLEWOOD, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom attended the LA Rams and 49ers game on Sunday. A photo posted by Magic Johnson on Instagram shows Newsom maskless in a stadium with a 70,000 person capacity.
Now, he's drawing criticism from Republicans and some Democrats alike for breaking stadium rules and his own guidelines.
The state of California currently requires mask-wearing for everyone — regardless of vaccination status — in all indoor spaces. Kids in school are required to wear masks. Fans attending the SuperBowl in two weeks' time in the same exact stadium will also be required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination.
Newsom explained during a press conference in LA on Monday that it was just for a brief second that he removed his mask after Magic Johnson asked him for a photograph first.
"Magic was kind enough, generous enough, to ask me for a photograph, and in my left hand is the mask and I took the photo. The rest of the time I wore it, as we all should," Newsom said.
Photos and videos surfacing Monday, however, paint a very different picture. There is a video of maskless Newsom walking up to Magic Johnson first. There's another photo of him hanging out by his seat without his mask on.
"I mean, I was trying to be gracious and took the mask off for a brief second. But no, I urge people to continue to wear them," Newsom reiterated.
"Governor Newsom extended emergency COVID protocols through March 2020, yet as he closes schools or requires children to wear masks all day, he walks around at a mega event snapping pictures with his favorite liberal mayors," said RNC CA Spokeswoman Hallie Balch.
Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley tweeted Monday morning in response to Newsom being maskless.
"In light of his conduct at the football game, and in light of what empirical data and common sense have long dictated, I'm calling on Gavin Newsom to end the school mask mandate," Kiley wrote in a tweet.
This is not the first time Newsom is receiving backlash for appearing to break his own rules. He attended a lobbyist friend’s birthday dinner with people from several households at the French Laundry, a high-end restaurant, right after urging other Californians to avoid the same type of behavior.
Berkeley Epidemiologist John Swartzberg is concerned the governor’s actions have negative consequences.
“Whenever our leadership doesn't follow the same public health policies as it promotes for the public, it undermines public health," Swartzberg said, "and it jeopardizes the public's health... it's terribly important that people continue to do everything they can to prevent infection.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more on ABC10