Heather Knight in her October 9th San Francisco Chronicle article, details how even retailers used by the beverage industry in their "No on HH" ads understand its not a grocery tax and plan only to place the tax on sugary drinks.

One store owner shared how ludicrous the idea of rising rices on everything in his store would be. "Nobody's going to want to raise the price of a loaf of bread or a box of cereal to offset the cost of soda" he said. "Then the price of cereal wouldn't be in line with the competition."

The article also highlights two separate studies being conducted in Berkeley that showed grocery prices have not gone up.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Big-Soda-s-tax-claim-falls-flat-with-grocers-9957316.php

 

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Community Leader Arnold Perkins was featured in a Post News Group Op-Ed last week, sharing his anger at Big Soda's outright lies about Measure HH and urging Oakland voters to support and vote YES on HH. 

By Arnold Perkins

One in two African American and Latino children are predicted to get type 2 diabetes in their lifetime (compared to one in three children overall). 

Type 2 diabetes used to be a disease of our grandparents, not our grandchildren. Diabetes does not impact everyone equally in Alameda County: if you are low-income you are at twice the risk of developing diabetes compared to those with higher incomes.

The evidence is clear: consumption of sugary drinks increases risk of diabetes and is linked to heart and liver disease and tooth decay, the most common chronic disease among children.

This November, we have the power to take a positive step to combat this health crisis by taxing sugary drinks and using the funds raised to fund health programs to address the devastating effects of soda – similarly to how we have taxed tobacco.

Measure HH in Oakland and Measure V in San Francisco are small, penny-per-ounce excise tax on the distributors of sugar-sweetened beverages.

These measures, like the successful measure in Berkeley, has brought a barrage of protests from the manufacturers and distributors of sugary drinks. Big Soda has spent millions to spread blatant lies – saying that it’s a grocery tax. It’s not. 

They are creating a false narrative that is meant to cause fear and confuse voters. We tell our children not to tell lies, yet Big Soda continues to deceive even after the courts declared Measures HH and V are a tax on soda not groceries.

Big Soda also says it’s a matter of personal choice to drink their products, but is it really? The industry fails to disclose that they are aggressively marketing in the same communities that have the highest rates of diabetes.

In 2013 alone, beverage companies spent $866 million to advertise unhealthy drinks, targeting youth and bypassing parents entirely. A recent study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity found that African American children and teens viewed 80-90 percent more sugary drink TV advertising than their white peers.

Big Soda also says this tax will harm poor people. The truth is that this is a tax on some of the wealthiest corporations in America, who, like the tobacco industry, claim no responsibility for the health problems associated with their products.

What the industry ignores is the unjust costs of diabetes and other chronic diseases, both the financial cost and the human toll that truly affect poor and communities of color the most.

Measure HH is estimated to raise 6 to 8 million dollars per year. The funds can be invested in communities to promote health and prevent diet related chronic diseases, especially in the communities that are most impacted.

Accountability is written into the measure and creates a community advisory board with representatives from areas disproportionately affected by chronic diseases; the board will recommend to the city council how funds should be spent.
This is a positive solution to turn our truly sobering diabetes rates around and it’s supported by over 150 health, faith and community-based organizations, city leaders and individual endorsers. 

It’s up to us, my fellow Bay Area residents, to not let Big Soda dictate the future of our health and to vote YES on Measure HH in Oakland and Measure V in San Francisco.

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Last week, the beverage industry sued the City of Oakland, alleging that ballot measure language stating “the tax is not paid by your local grocer” was incorrect. However, on  Friday, an Alameda Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the Yes on HH campaign and rejected Big Soda’s claims. The measure language will be printed in voter ballot guides as written.  

The ballot argument states “The tax is not paid by your local grocer” and clarifies that the soda tax  is a one penny per ounce tax on distributors of sugary drinks and not on grocers or groceries. This language is  intended to clarify that despite Big Soda’s opposition campaign, this is NOT a grocery tax.

Big Soda has already spent $9.5 million dollars on mailers, television, and digital ads trying to mislead and confuse voters. Thankfully, the judge saw through these blatant lies and the industry’s intimidation tactics, and ruled that our ballot argument text was not false or misleading,

Measure HH Champion, Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington summed it up well in a quote published in the East Bay Express, “A court just declared what I've been saying — that soda's entire $10 million campaign is a lie."

Read the full article and other coverage at the links below: 

 http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2016/09/02/big-soda-loses-in-court-to-oakland

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-Oakland-s-proposed-sugary-drink-tax-is-9200973.php

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A new study released by the University of California Berkeley (UCB) is showing that the nation’s first sugary drink tax, passed by the city in 2014, is working. Consumers in Berkeley’s low-income neighborhoods are drinking 21% less soda and other sugary drinks since the tax was implemented in March 2015. These results are promising, and suggest Oakland residents could see a similar impact if Measure HH is passed.

This research shows Berkeley’s tax has both discouraged sugary drinks and encouraged consumers to switch to healthier drinks: during the study period, consumption of tap and bottled water among residents increased by 63%. Only 2% of Berkeley residents reported traveling across city lines to buy tax-free soda.

“We are looking for tools that support people in making healthy choices, and the soda tax appears to be an effective tool,” stated study author Kristine Madsen, an associate professor of public health at UCB. The authors also suggest that the campaign to pass Measure D may have also played a part in encouraging residents to switch to healthier drinks: “It’s possible that successful campaigning around the tax raised awareness of the health impacts of sugary drinks.”

These results are even more favorable than the results seen in Mexico, where a 17% decline in soda consumption was reported among low-income households after the first year of its one-peso-per-liter soda tax that went into effect in 2013.

Not surprisingly, Big Soda is using the usual tactics of trying to discredit this rigorous peer-reviewed study. Don’t be surprised to see more ads coming to fight this tax. Big Soda has reserved roughly $9.5 million in television ad time before Election Day and already has spent $1 million on commercials in the Bay Area.

Read more about the study results at: http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/08/23/sodadrinking/

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As of August 10th, campaign finance records indicate that Big Soda has spent between $600-750k to oppose Oakland's soda tax with deceptive ads.

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At a press conference on Thursday, July 14, at 10:30 a.m. in front of the City Hall steps, Councilwomen Campbell Washington, Brooks, and Kaplan will announce their intent to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission and the Oakland Ethics Commission regarding the untruthful advertisements being broadcast on TV and send to Oakland voters in the mail.

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Last Tuesday, we held a very successful fundraiser to kick off the Oakland vs. Big Soda campaign. Our first fundraising event raised both dollars and awareness about the health crisis in Oakland, caused by consumption of sugary drinks. Over 60 campaign supporters and volunteers spent an engaging evening at Brown Sugar Kitchen, hosted by Tanya Holland, chef and local food justice advocate. Speakers included Vice Mayor Annie Campbell-Washington, pediatrician Dr. Bert Lubin, City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, and health advocate Vicki Alexander. Nancy Skinner was one of the elected officials that came out to show support.

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The Oakland Sugar Sweetened Beverage Distributor Tax is officially on the ballot! The City Council voted unanimously May 3rd to put the measure before Oakland voters.  A big "Thank You" to the over 30 community members who signed up to speak and who gave passionate testimony in support of the excise tax, many telling heartbreaking personal stories about how diabetes has touched their families.  

Now its time to organize and spread the word about the link of sugary drinks to diabetes, tooth decay, and other diseases and how the beverage industry targets its marketing to children and youth and low income communities of color.  The revenue from this tax can be used to combat the impact of sugary drink marketing.  Funds could support health education and community and school-based programs across Oakland. It's time for profitable corporations to pay for the health impacts of their products in our community. 

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