California's Contra Costa County district attorney, Democrat Diana Becton, breached COVID-19 restrictions over the summer to hold a wedding reception in her backyard in the Bay Area, though she is the one tasked with implementing state and local anti-virus laws, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.
Becton said that visitors had their temperatures taken upon entry, wore masks, and were socially distanced by the families from which they came. “I had a wedding in my yard that was really based upon the love that we shared,” Becton said. “I hope that I did not do anything that was in violation of any rules. If I did, it certainly was not my intent.”
Becton said she called the coronavirus hotline of Contra Costa County Health Services before hosting the event to "consult them on having an outdoor ceremony." After that, she came to the conclusion that "that there didn’t seem to be anything that would prohibit the event," adding that afterward, no one contracted the virus.
According to the State Department of Public Health guidance, parties that put together people from various households were prohibited at that time and still are. Medical experts warn that people are likely to let their guard down at such events when celebrating or eating and drinking, removing their masks.
Former vice-chairwoman of the California Republican Party and the CEO of the Center for American Liberty, Harmeet Dhillon, condemned Becton's behavior amid state restrictions imposed by her fellow party members.
Dhillon's comments come in light of Becton forming a task force last year to crack down on state and county coronavirus law violators.
Becton, Contra Costa County's DA since 2017, has reportedly been named as a potential replacement for California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, President Biden's choice for secretary for health and human services.
Beckton is not the only politician in California who has been criticized for violating the coronavirus guidelines. In November, state governor Gavin Newsom caused controversy for attending a maskless lunch party at a restaurant in the wine country of California. Later, his office issued a statement admitting the violation, adding he needed to "preach and practice, not just preach."
Moreover, after reportedly traveling with his parents for Thanksgiving dinner, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo may have breached his own COVID restrictions when openly warning city residents not to do so.
California leads the statistics in terms of the number of infected from the general population of the country, with the number of cases currently standing at 3.4 million, out of a total of 26.9 million in the US. The death toll since the beginning of the pandemic is 43,988.