With a recall effort that has already attracted over 1.8 million signatures, you would expect California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to stay as far away as possible from any indoor dining after his infamous visit to the ritzy French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley last November. But you would be mistaken.
The governor was caught indoors at another restaurant in Fresno, California, this past week. Fresno County is still in the governor's most-restrictive category of lockdown restrictions where indoor dining is strictly prohibited.
Newsom can be seen inside the restaurant in a viral TikTok video posted by alleged comedian George Lopez.
@gavinnewsom Special guest @georgelopez today in Fresno!
? original sound - Gavin Newsom
Newsom's office denies the governor dined while visiting the restaurant, but it's clear from the video that Newsom was indeed inside the restaurant with other people. Even if the governor didn't eat indoors -- and who knows if he did or didn't – why is Newsom allowed to mingle with his Hollywood pals inside restaurants that remain closed to the public? It's just more rules for thee but not for me.
The governor came under fire in November after being spotted inside the French Laundry restaurant in Napa. At the time, indoor dining in Napa was not available to the public, and the governor's glaring hypocrisy helped fuel the recall effort to new heights.
Recall proponents now say they have collected more than 1.8 million signatures, far more than the 1.5 million or so needed to bring the recall question before voters. But with Democrats in charge of the state, organizers of the effort are hoping to widen the margin as much as possible before the Mar. 17 deadline, when Democrats are expected to suddenly worry about possible election fraud and demand stringent signature verification.