San Francisco Mayor Rethinks Soda Pop Strategy

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The city has not given up on discouraging soft drink consumption, although Mayor Gavin Newsom insisted the latest efforts will not ask consumers to pay extra to buy pop.

Newsom had supported a soft drink fee whose proceeds would fight obesity, only to veto a surcharge on alcoholic beverages that would have funded efforts to combat alcoholism.

"We found a better way of solving the problem, and we're going to announce that in a week or two," he said.

KCBS Barbara Taylor Reporting:

A fee-based approach would only discourage businesses from hiring in a slow economy, Newsom said.

Although the so-called soda tax was never more than an idea, the mayor did issue an executive order that vending machines on city property offer fewer soft drinks. He and the supervisors also issued nonbinding resolutions urging the public to enjoy a soda-free summer.