California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that his own daughter, who recently turned 12-years-old, has not received her COVID-19 vaccination despite the state's mandate for students.
The governor said, according to the Los Angeles Times, that his daughter has not been vaccinated because she has "a series of other shots to get first."
Last week, California became the first state in the country to implement a vaccine mandate for school children at least 12 years of age following approval from the Food and Drug Administration. This, after the city of Los Angeles in September required public school students ages 12 and up to get their shots.
"Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps, and more," Newsom said of the statewide mandate for students. "Why? Because vaccines work."
This is not the first time that Newsom has been accused of hypocrisy for exempting himself and his family from coronavirus restrictions he urges others to follow.
He pulled his son from a camp over the summer after photos surfaced of the children playing basketball indoors without masks.
Last year, Newsom was photographed dining indoors with 11 others at a lavish restaurant without masks despite telling state residents to avoid large gatherings.
"The spirit of what I’m preaching all the time was contradictory, and I’ve got to own that. So I’m going to apologize to you," he said during a briefing following the outing.
According to California's COVID-19 website, only 56 percent of children ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated while just over 8 percent are partially vaccinated.