A tax on sugary drinks has moved one step closer to the November ballot in Berkeley. Emboldened by a recent survey showing majority support among residents, the city council decided to set a July 1 vote for the matter on Tuesday. If approved, the measure would require support from two-thirds of voters. Revenue from the tax could then be funneled into the city’s general fund or put towards health-related programs.
"Our residents are highly educated on this issue and highly supportive of any measure that can help fight child onset diabetes and other tragic, preventable and costly diet-related illnesses," said Martin Bourque, Executive Director of the Berkeley Ecology Center. (The Ecology Center has campaigned to get the soda tax measure on the ballot.)
Efforts to regulate soda consumption have been met with dismal failure elsewhere. Last year, voters in the City of Richmond overwhelmingly rejected Measure N, which would have levied a penny-per-ounce tax on all beverages containing added sugar. A comparable proposal in El Monte was defeated by 76 percent of residents, while similar proposals have also failed at the state level in both California and Illinois.
Proponents of the soda tax say curtailment of sugary drink consumption is a necessary tool in the fight against obesity. But they are sure to be met with fierce opposition from the beverage industry, which spent millions fighting the ballot initiatives in both Richmond and El Monte.
A similar proposal is also under consideration in San Francisco.
Read more about the potential ballot initiative here.