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As RedState deputy managing editor Jen Van Laar reported earlier, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) was busy this week ordering more COVID-19-related shutdowns in select counties in the state of California in advance of the many patriotic celebrations planned for the upcoming Independence Day weekend – and in the midst of the various Black Lives Matter protests that are still taking place in big cities like Los Angeles.

The hypocrisy and ongoing inconsistencies in the stay at home/social distancing policies and mandates ordered by both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) during the Wuhan virus outbreak have long been an immense source of irritation not just for L.A. residents, but also for some of the local journalists who are paying attention to what frustrated citizens have had to say about it.

KTLA’s Christina Pascucci took to the Twitter machine yesterday to share a photo of a crowded protest outside of City Hall in L.A., noting that she had heard from numerous people who didn’t understand why the protest was being allowed while others were being told to severely limit their Independence Day festivities in an effort to help combat the spread of the virus:

LAPD just posted this photo of people protesting tonight. People are messaging me, asking how this is allowed, with no social distancing, when hours ago Governor @GavinNewsom said we shouldn’t even see our family for a July 4th gathering this weekend, unless we live with them. pic.twitter.com/ONq78nCok7

— Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) July 2, 2020

Because she got the predictable comments from leftists about how it had supposedly been confirmed that protests did not spark the wave of outbreaks in states like California and Texas, Pascucci pushed back by noting there are more questions than answers on that because in some cities across the country, health officials were actually ordered by Democratic officials NOT to ask those who were tested if they recently attended a protest:

For those who say no COVID cases have been linked to protests, how do we know? This is a real question https://t.co/PBHKevCrSw

— Christina Pascucci (@ChristinaKTLA) July 2, 2020

Fox Los Angeles reporter Bill Melugin – who has been like a pit bull in demanding answers from state leaders regarding lockdowns over the last 3+ months – pointed out that protests like the one in the photo show exactly why local and state politicians “have lost so much credibility in the eyes of a chunk of the public”:

This right here is why California and LA politicians have lost so much credibility in the eyes of a chunk of the public. Is the Governor going to send one of his “strike teams” to enforce here? Or is that only reserved for anything that’s not a protest? Double standards. https://t.co/BuQQIsTvJp

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) July 2, 2020

His colleague Elex Michaelson also went to town on Garcetti’s and Newsom’s ever-evolving standards on what is and is not “safe” for residents to be allowed to do and not do:

Without that, it's hard for people to accept restrictions on their ability to gather at beaches or with their families.

Or, if the science shows that outdoor transmission really wasn't a problem…and that protests didn't make a dent…then don't restrict things like beaches

— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) July 2, 2020

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said during his briefing that no one should congregate with anyone outside their immediate family.

At that very moment, a BLM protest was happening outside City Hall. Yet, no one did anything to stop it.

— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) July 2, 2020

Michaelson was so angered by the confusion their double standards were creating among viewers and readers that he went off in a segment with Dr. Drew, who agreed with him by making a terrific point on why no one will listen to public health officials and politicians on these matters anymore because their standards were all over the map and appeared to be selective:

Rarely do I get angry on air. But this was frustrating.

As Mayor Eric Garcetti told Los Angeles: "You still can't gather in groups…that is still prohibited."

Meanwhile, protesters were steps outside & officials did nothing.

My question: Who gets to gather & who doesn't? pic.twitter.com/VOHxYWYeve

— Elex Michaelson (@Elex_Michaelson) July 2, 2020

Pascucci, Melugin, Michaelson, and Dr. Drew are all right on the money here. The people of California and every other state in America who have been told to hunker down and that you can’t visit your sick relative in the hospital or go to their funeral while BLM protesters have been given free rein are owed answers as to why there is one standard for left-wing protesters and another for everyone else.