Join the Coalition for Healthy Oakland Children
Our coalition is a group of concerned community leaders, public health professionals, elected officials, parents, and citizens pulling together to address the diabetes crisis and to improve health through education and effective health policy. Soda and other sugary drinks are the number one source of added sugar in the American diet, and are linked to increased risk of obesity and diseases such as diabetes, heart and liver disease, and the most common chronic disease among children, tooth decay. That’s why we’ve proposed Measure HH - a penny-per-ounce tax on the distributors of sugary drinks (like soda, energy drinks, lemonades, and sports drinks) in the City of Oakland. By taxing companies that distribute sugary drinks, revenues can be used to support health education programs and efforts to improve children’s health across Oakland.
Both the health and dental communities have consistently endorsed efforts to reduce the negative health effects of sugary drink consumption. Policies designed to reduce the negative impacts of sugary drinks are widely supported, and have been endorsed by the Alameda County Public Health Department, Alameda County Dental Society, American Heart Association, California Diabetes Association, California Dental Association, Prevention Institute, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, California Black Health Network, and the American Academy of Pediatrics/California. See the full list of Endorsements.
Why Oakland?
In 2014, Berkeley overwhelmingly passed a tax on sugary drinks with 76% of voters supporting Measure D. Since the tax went into effect in March 2015, Berkeley has collected over $1.5 million for community nutrition and health efforts.
Oakland is now proposing a similar tax on the distributors of sugary drinks. Measure HH proposes a 1-cent per ounce tax that is estimated to generate $6-8 million per year that can be used to fund health and nutrition programs in our community. Please support our effort by endorsing and donating today.