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- California's governor said he pulled his kids out of a summer camp over its mask policies.
- Gov. Newsom's office said it missed an email that said the camp wouldn't enforce mask guidance.
- He was criticized after his son was photographed not wearing a mask at the camp.
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California's governor pulled his kids out of a summer camp after facing criticism over a photo of his son inside at the camp without a face mask on, at odds with the state's coronavirus guidance.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's spokeswoman, Erin Mellon, said his team missed an email from the camp that two of his children – ages 10 and 11 – attended, saying the camp would not be enforcing guidance to wear masks, The Sacramento Bee reported.
A photo of his son not wearing a mask while indoors at the camp circulated online, and was met with outrage from people who oppose the state's guidance.
California asks that people, even those who are fully vaccinated and children, to wear masks indoors in youth settings like summer camps.
The children attended the camp for one day, Mellon said.
Mellon said in the statement: "The Newsoms were concerned to see unvaccinated children unmasked indoors at a camp their children began attending yesterday."
"The family reviewed communication from the camp and realized that an email was missed saying the camp would not enforce masking guidance. Their kids will no longer be attending this camp."
This isn't the first time that Newsom has faced backlash for perceived hypocrisy in his handling of the pandemic. In November, Newsom and his wife were photographed attending a large dinner at an upscale Napa Valley restaurant a week before the governor warned Californians to "limit interactions to their immediate household."
Newson is currently facing a recall election in September, which has been described as a response to Newsom's coronavirus leadership.