San Francisco mayor takes on ... bottled water?


San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom has made his share of headlines: In 2004, he ordered the city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and he's been outspoken about homelessness, immigration and health care. Now Newsom has a new crusade: bottled water.

Last week, the mayor signed an executive order banning the use of city funds for the purchase of single-serving water bottles, and also banned the sale of bottled water on city-owned property. It's all part of the city's effort to become more environmentally friendly and less wasteful, and residents who sign an online pledge not to buy bottled water can get a free stainless steel water bottle. The city also recently outlawed the use of plastic grocery bags.

In an interview with Newsweek, Newsom said: "These people are making huge amounts of money selling God's natural resources. Sorry, we're not going to be part of it. Our water in San Francisco comes from the Hetch Hetchy [reservoir] and is some of the most pristine water on the planet. Our water is arguably cleaner than a vast majority of the bottled water sold as 'pure'."

While there are no major public companies that sell only bottled water, companies like The Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) could be adversely effected if the anti-bottled water trend catches on nationally. Coke and Pepsi own Dasani and Aquafina, respectively.

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