You can't make this stuff up.
The pet ban would be city-wide [if passed].
The soda ban seems to be limited to city property. This one seems to be in effect already.
The pet ban would be city-wide [if passed].
The soda ban seems to be limited to city property. This one seems to be in effect already.
San Francisco considers banning sale of pets except fish
Sell a guinea pig, go to jail. That's the law under consideration by San Francisco's Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. If the commission approves the ordinance at its meeting tonight, San Francisco could soon have what is believed to be the country's first ban on the sale of all pets except fish.
That includes dogs, cats, hamsters, mice, rats, chinchillas, guinea pigs, birds, snakes, lizards and nearly every other critter, or, as the commission calls them, companion animals.
"People buy small animals all the time as an impulse buy, don't know what they're getting into, and the animals end up at the shelter and often are euthanized," said commission Chairwoman Sally Stephens. "That's what we'd like to stop."
San Francisco residents who want a pet would have to go to another city, adopt one from a shelter or rescue group, or find one through the classifieds.
The Board of Supervisors would have final say on the matter. But not before pet store owners unleash a cacophony of howling, squeaking and squawking.
"It's terrible. A pet store that can't sell pets? It's ridiculous," said John Chan, manager of Pet Central on Broadway, which has been in business 30 years. "We'd have to close."
San Francisco Bans Coca-Cola, Mr. Pibb
The sale of Coca-Cola is now outlawed at San Francisco City Hall. That means if you need to wash down that tofu turkey dog, you’ll need to order a bottle of soy milk.
Mayor Gavin Newsome has issued an executive order banning Coke, Pepsi and Fanta Orange from vending machines on city property. The directive also includes non-diet sodas, sports drinks and artificially sweetened water.
That means you can no longer “Do the Dew” at City Hall. Dr. Pepper? Not welcome and neither is Mr. Pibb.
Even fruit juices have come under the mayor’s scrutiny. Juices must be made from 100 percent juice with no added sweeteners.
So what’s a thirsty San Franciscan supposed to drink?
Well, according to the mayor, the city’s vending machines will be stocked with a wide variety of “healthy” alternatives. Imagine nursing a glass of rice milk or perhaps soy milk on a warm, sunny day. The machines will also be stocked with water — provided it meets fat and sugar content requirements.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the ban is part of the mayor’s effort to slim the city’s waistlines.
“There’s a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crisis in this country,” Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker told the newspaper. “It’s entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property.”
Not intrusive unless, of course, you want a bottle of root beer or a Fresca.
The city’s ban is believed to be one of the strictest in the nation and it’s drawn the ire of the California/Nevada Soft Drink Association.
“This is all about choice,” Executive Director Bob Achermann told the Chronicle. “There is probably nothing more personal than what you drink or eat. Singling out beverages in this whole equation of how to fight obesity is not going to be the answer.”
But Winnicker said the only thing they are banning is the sale of soft drinks — not the actual consumption. “People absolutely remain free to choose to drink unhealthy sugary sodas anywhere they want,” he told the newspaper. “Selling them is another matter.”