Nancy Pelosi confirms she got hair done indoors in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - A trip to a San Francisco salon has turned into controversy for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi whose office tells KTVU she didn't think she did anything wrong by getting her hair done indoors on Monday.
Security footage, reported on FOX News, showed Pelosi with wet hair and without a mask covering her face inside of eSalon in apparent defiance of COVID-19 rules.
In San Francisco, face coverings are mandatory in most public settings. Salons may only cut hair outdoors under new rules that took effect on Tuesday.
“The Speaker always wears a mask and complies with local COVID requirements. This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment," said Drew Hammill, deputy chief of staff for Pelosi.
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On Tuesday afternoon, eSalon appeared to be closed. KTVU has not yet reached the salon owner.
But according to FOX News, owner Erica Kious said that Pelosi had an appointment with a stylist who rents space in the Union Street salon.
“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work," Kious reportedly said about Pelosi.
The stylist washed Pelosi's hair and gave her a blow-dry, Kious said.
After visiting the salon, Pelosi appeared on MSNBC around 5:30 p.m. with an image of a foggy Golden Gate Bridge behind her.
Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney and co-chair of Lawyers For Trump says Pelosi and perhaps even the salon should be fined.
"She's a disgusting hypocrite," said Dhillon, referring to Speaker Pelosi.
"I've represented other types of businesses that have been severely punished for violating the very same law that Nancy Pelosi broke yesterday," said Dhillon.
Some people say they don't fault the stylist.
"You know a big politican says she wants her hair done. You've been sitting on your couch for six months. You're going to take th opportunity. You know I don't judge the person personally because I understand they need to make some money," said Rory Cox, co-owner of Yubalance, a personal fitness gym.
Cox helped organize a protest calling for more support and reopening of small businesses. He says the Pelosi video points to unfair privilege.
"It just feels classist to be honest. It like, oh you're a politician, you're a doctor, you're a lawyer, you're a tech person and you get to continue on your merry way and live your lives the way you want to live it. Meanwhile the rest of us are shut out," said Cox.
Salon and barbershop owners have been among the most vocal critics of California's rules that have shuttered businesses for months in an attempt to quell the spread of the coronavirus. A group representing beauty and barbering professionals in May announced plans to sue Gov. Newsom over the shutdown.
KTVU's Jana Katsuyama contributed to this report.