HYPOCRISY: San Jose mayor tells residents to skip Thanksgiving—then celebrates with elderly parents

San Jose's Mayor Sam Liccardo told citizens not to get together for Thanksgiving, then he gathered with friends and family to celebrate the holiday.

On Nov. 25, he wrote "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"

On Nov. 30, local news reported that Liccardo "celebrated with his elderly parents at their Saratoga home with an unknown number of other guests." Liccardo's staff did not say how many others were at the dinner, from how many different households or if face masking measures were followed while food was not being eaten.

Instead, Liccardo's Chief of Staff Jim Reed said "This is a private event – not public. We are going to redraw the line between what is personal and what is public because that line has become blurred."

This celebration with a group of people was a departure from what the mayor's press team had said he would be doing, which was "staying home" with only his immediate family.

When local news inquired as to whether or not the mayor had kept to his plans, a spokesperson for his office said that the office had "mispoke," and that in fact, Liccardo had celebrated the very holiday he'd asked people to not celebrate.

His attendance at a Thanksgiving party was directly opposed to Santa Clara County health guidelines, as issued by Dr. Sara Cody, the health officer.

Cody instructed residents to "Keep your holiday gatherings to your immediate household members only. I cannot emphasize enough, gathering with friends and family who are not in your household is not safe."