Berkeley vs. Big Soda

With 79% of the vote, Measure Z has passed!

Berkeley voters have once again affirmed our collective journey toward health equity. Berkeley chose to continue having soda distributors pay a tax that makes possible investments in a community led-norms change where our residents' nutrition consciousness is shaped through school and community programming. We are building a culture of health that prioritizes our communities of color and our youth, those most subjected to Big Soda’s predatory marketing practices. Our efforts over the last 10 years have resulted in decreased soda consumption, increased water consumption, and lower population-level BMI, and served as an inspiration for other municipalities to adopt similar measures.

Investments in community organizations like Healthy Black Families Inc., Multicultural Institute, Berkeley Youth Alternatives, LifeLong Medical Care, Ecology Center, and the YMCA of the East Bay have resulted in health-affirming programming, and have increased their capacity to withstand funding insecurities typically experienced by nonprofits. By voting to extend the soda tax indefinitely, we have also shown how to steward a participatory budgeting process that centers equity and racial justice.

The comprehensiveness of Berkeley's approach to use residents' agency and dignity to choose health has also served as a beacon for other initiatives across the country including The Navajo Nation, San Francisco, Oakland, Albany, Boulder, Seattle, and Philadelphia. In response to this ripple of equity, the beverage industry used their economic and political power to get soda distributor tax bans in Michigan, Washington, California, and Arizona. In California they resorted to tactics the Sacramento Bee labeled extortion.

Also this November, the City of Santa Cruz had a 2-cent per ounce tax that appears to be winning. If they are successful, they can become the first charter city with a soda tax and the possibility of challenging statewide preemption. Thank you Santa Cruz for stepping up and good luck!

Thank you to everyone who donated resources and time to help Measure Z get over the finish line!

Thank you to A Rude Awakening on KPFA Radio for hosting Xavier Morales to discuss Measure Z!

In place since 2014, the has exceeded expectations. As a result of the tax, soda consumption and BMIs are down and water consumption is up. The first-of-its-kind tax on soda tax distributors has created a stronger community infrastructure for health, equity, and racial justice. It's imperative to keep this momentum going by voting .

Listen to the episode (Measure Z is discussed starting at 34 minutes):

A Rude Awakening - October 18, 2024 | KPFA On today’s show, two Berkeley ballot measures: I’ll speak to Dr. Ashley McClure and Brianna McGuire on Measure GG. We’ll switch gears just a bit and speak to Praxis Project executive director Xavier Morales on Measure Z.

Thanks to our youngest volunteers for helping spread the word about !

The has funded programs across the city that help raise awareness about the harmful health impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages, especially among children. Voting YES on Measure Z will help keep these important programs going!

(Photo shared with permission from their mom.)

We're staying cool at the downtown Berkeley farmers' market! Stop by and learn about how the Berkeley tax on soda distributors benefits our community and our health.