Are they going to allow sales of soda, juice, etc.?

I don't drink from public drinking fountains; okay, maybe I'm being overly cautious, but, some people's "habits" when using a public drinking fountain are rather disgusting and I do NOT want to catch anything they have.

So, it isn't just a matter of "taste" for me.

They have just given me another reason to NOT visit, and NOT spend my money, in San Francisco. That's their loss, not mine.

They can try this because of a benign weather environment. Try it in Texas or Colorado and watch people drop from heat exhaustion.

I'm with Charles - people are gross, and all it takes is one ick-meister to ruin it for everyone.

If the City would put their money where their mouths are, they would put these (or similar) carrots, everywhere, first:
http://bit.ly/1oFaGh6

Before using their legislative stick on everyone.

"Oh, did you think Sprite drinkers think they'll be turned into geese if they litter?"

I had that same thought... I'll bet they aren't addressing those right now for this simple reason: the long-range plan is to ban carbonated soft drinks altogether. They'll be in a contest with NYC to see who can do it first.

fbeachmom; that's is exactly what they have at my gym, and I DO refill my water bottle using that.

It is hands free, and it would be awfully hard for someone to do something yucky with the refill your bottle part (I won't go near the other part).

And, thanks, it is good to hear that I'm not the only one being paranoid about drinking fountains.

Gee. Isn't San Fran also an antivaxxer hotspot?

I am reminded of something agent K said in "Men in Black": "A person is smart. People are dumb, dangerous, panicky animals and you know that."

And, apparently, those people vote.

Because Gatorade, Sprite, and Odwalla bottles aren't litter?

San Francisco has a bigger litter problem than water bottles. It's a beautiful city that's filled with litter.

Part of the problem is that there are few public trash cans, infrequent emptying of those cans, almost no city street sweeping, and a population that believes it's someone else's job to clean things up.

When I lived in Chicago, I marveled at the civic pride Chicagoans had in their city. People didn't litter. There was very little litter - amazing in a city that size. Watching a woman flick a cigarette in to the gutter, I was happy to see that it was the only piece of litter in that gutter. There were trash cans everywhere - and people used them. They were regularly emptied so they weren't overflowing with garbage.

I love San Francisco, but this town be crazy.

The legislation includes the sale and distribution of water in plastic bottles (21 ounces or less) on city property beginning in October and would go into effect for sales on streets and sidewalks by 2016.

How soon before there is a 22oz bottle of water for sale in SF?

But Chiu said the city would counter that by making it easier for people refill bottles that they bring from home.

I guess people who forget, break, or lose their bottles are SOL.

And how will the city make it easier? Sell them reusable water bottles? Made of plastic? Build more public water fountains? Pipe in more water - despite the drought?

Watch, vendors will start selling cheap crinkly plastic "reusable" water bottles. And then sell the water with which to fill the bottles.

Hours before the vote, supervisors took the 'Tap Water Challenge' hosted by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and anti-plastic activists on the steps of City Hall.

The test lined up two glasses with bottled water and one with tap water. The challenge was to distinguish between them all.

Supervisor Eric Mar participated with one of his constituents. Mar said the tap water had a cleaner taste.

Irrelevant.

It's not about the taste; it's about how to carry water around when you've forgotten, lost, or broken your reusable bottle.

Or how to get water when you don't want to follow the drooling, disease-ridden vagrant at the public water fountain.

On the plus side for local restaurants, I see a lucrative side business.

"In contrast, what if you forget one and are thirsty?"

Well, I for one, would never buy a nice sugary cold bottle of Coca-Cola if I was thirsty, in San Francisco and couldn't find any bottled water.

And people ask me why I moved.

1) Reduce
2) Re-use
and, lastly
3) Recycle

We only have one Earth, people!

1) Reduce
2) Re-use
and, lastly
3) Recycle

We only have one Earth, people!

Posted by: Jamie H. at March 10, 2014 10:57 AM

Mindless platitudes aside, What do you do when the energy and material costs are higher to recycle, than to throw something away?

I love all those disposable plastic gloves the dentist uses that may cut down on my chances of catching something that the last patient had.

Everything is a trade off, and nanny government does trade offs very poorly because mostly it is made up of idiots.

I have watched government create artificial shortages of things in the name of environmentalism for most of my lifetime.

This is where it is going. Plastic bottle bans.
,

This is where it is going. Plastic bottle bans.

Cause having people litter the streets with glass bottles or aluminum cans is so much better.

"1) Reduce
2) Re-use
and, lastly
3) Recycle

We only have one Earth, people!" JamieH

so, any other slogans you want to throw out there, J?

Your slogan doesn't change the fact that this sort of law, is complete horsehockey.

TOURISTS, ain't going to be carrying a bottle for their water around with them, now are they?

Why do we have bottled water in this country? For the same reason that you surely NEED antibacterial soap/alchoholwash. Sellers of goods figured out some time ago that people were creeped out by everyone that puts their mouth on the drinking fountain, or walks out of the restroom without washing their hands...

And instead of helping people change habits, we sold them stuff. Capitalism in action.

So, we decide that's no good either. OK, so how do you change people habits? By outlawing something?
Or by saying 'like your mama said, don't put your mouth on the fountain! wash your hands after using the bathroom!'

And letting things trail down. When you were a kid, could you buy bottled water? PREPOSTEROUS, there's a drinking fountain right over there.

So, where are we now? Lotsa people drink bottled water. So? Make sure they recycle first. Seems like CA has a extra fee on bottles anyway, that can go to having more recycling cans, THAT WILL BE EMPTIED.
Then? Maybe retrofit public fountains with a filler for water bottles. I'm sure someone makes a sanitary one out there. Then with the public campaign to get people to use them.

Making a law that people CANNOT BUY WATER. Repeat that to yourself. Is this NOT the most ridiculous thing...
oh, wait. I'm sure they will come up with something else.

Making a law that people CANNOT BUY WATER. Repeat that to yourself. Is this NOT the most ridiculous thing...
oh, wait. I'm sure they will come up with something else.

Posted by: SwissArmyD at March 10, 2014 11:54 AM

Perhaps someone on the city council has a kiosk at SFO where they can add a nice line of designer water, and reusable bottles.

Yea, I'm cynical. It has paid off well for me, in the past.

I remember the Ernest Tubb record store in the Nashville airport doing a brisk business in plastic baggies when the TSA instituted that stupid rule that you had to bag up all your toiletries in those clear plastic baggies to get them through the checkpoint.

(1) Ban the item on government property.
"We can certainly decide what to do within
the area we directly control."

(2) Ban the item on public property.
"This is merely an extension of good policy
to other property in use by the public".

(3) Ban it near public property.
"The public should not be assaulted by
these things, especially near schools.
It is for the children."

(4) Ban it wherever it might be seen from any
part of public property.
"Closing a loophole."

(5) Ban it on commercial property.
"No employee should have to participate in
actions which are otherwise restricted outside
a business setting."

(6) Ban it entirely.
"Finally, we can extend good policy to the few
insignificant remaining areas of use. Save the
planet."