Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was among the tens of thousands at SoFi Stadium on Sunday who decided to doff their masks. A shot of the mayor maskless in his Rams gear at the game began circulating online on Sunday afternoon, prompting criticism from many who pointing out that L.A. County’s mask mandate for outdoor mega-events is still in effect.
The mayor was also seen without his mask at the NFC Championship game two weeks ago at Sofi, after which he said he held his breath while going barefaced to take a photo with Laker great Magic Johnson. That photo, and a similar image of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, became national news in the says after the game.
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Deadline reached out the the mayor’s office for comment but did not hear back.
LA Mayor @ericgarcetti once again ignoring the mask mandate. That’s the second game in a row (last time he said he was holding his breath), but they are still forcing kids to wear masks every day. pic.twitter.com/PaGRhbye2x
— AG (@AGHamilton29) February 14, 2022
Already, in the hours after the Super Bowl, a number of conservative pundits have taken aim at Garcetti, who is President Biden’s nominee for Ambassador to India. Sean Hannity posted a reaction on his web site, and Senator Ted Cruz tweeted the photo with the comment, “He’s really good at holding his breath.”
He’s really good at holding his breath. https://t.co/6uaC0S9o4M
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 14, 2022
It should be said that Garcetti appears to be in an area of the stadium designated for eating and drinking and has a beverage on one hand and a mask in the other. Under L.A. County’s Health Officer Order, attendees of such mega-events are allowed to take off their face coverings if they are in such a designated area and “actively engaged in eating or drinking.” In the photo, the mayor is standing in a tight circle with three other men, none of whom has their face covered, either.
Garcetti was not alone. Images of the crowd on NBC’s telecast just before the Rams took the field show only about 15% of the crowd wearing masks. Nor were most of the celebrities NBC flashed to throughout the telecast.
My students all have to wear masks all day tomorrow, inside and outside of their classrooms because we are in LA County. Same place as the Super Bowl. But not a mask in sight here. pic.twitter.com/oVUzDznwOA
— Chris Fore (@chriscfore) February 13, 2022
In fact, in a video interview from the game, as L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer urges people to mask up, none of the attendees sitting directly behind her are wearing masks.
It’s almost comical. You can see in the background that no one else is wearing a mask. https://t.co/42qwjV54tc
— AG (@AGHamilton29) February 14, 2022
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