BERKELEY, Calif. — Here in one of the most liberal corners of the nation, health advocates are preparing for what could be their last stand in the battle over taxing soda.
Voters in San Francisco and Berkeley will consider a 1 or 2 cents per ounce sin tax on sugar-sweetened drinks on the ballot in November.
If the tax passes in one of the two cities, as polls show it might, it’ll be the first loss for the beverage industry, which has emerged undefeated in more than 30 similar fights in states and cities, from Maine to El Monte, California in recent years.
The industry is all in, pouring at least $2 million into the fight already, to hold its perfect record. If it can beat back this latest threat in a liberal haven, it could very well kill soda taxes, once and for all, by discouraging other cities and states from even trying.
The No campaign’s San Francisco TV ads were made by Goddard Gunster — a creative firm well-known for the Harry and Louise spots attacking health care reform in the 1990s — which also produced ads in opposition to Bloomberg’s soda size crackdown. Election filings show the firm has been paid nearly $950,000.
All of the TV and radio ads use female narrators and focus on prices.
“Two pennies per ounce on sugar sweetened beverages can really add up,” the narrator says in one of the ads running in San Francisco. “A 12-pack of soda would cost $3 more. Some beverages could go up 75 percent. Businesses would lose $60 million in revenue and nearly $6 million dollars of the tax would be paid by families with an annual income of less than $20,000.”
But Tramutola notes that Berkeley’s Measure D also has “unprecedented” local political support. All eight city council members support the measure, along with the mayor and all of the political candidates, he said. Around town, you can’t miss the orange “Berkeley vs. Big Soda” signs dotting lawns.
And pro-tax organizers think the flood of cash has backfired in some cases. As Berkeley voters have been bombarded with phone calls and canvasser visits, more have also been stopping into the Yes campaign headquarters on the main drag downtown asking for yard signs, according to Sara Soka, campaign manager for the Yes on Measure D, which calls itself “Berkeley vs. Big Soda.”
“People are upset that Big Soda is knocking on their door,” said Soka, who added that the money coming in is overwhelming. “It’s like they’re dumping soda on us, trying to wash us away.”
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Eddie
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