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Five California Bills Aim To Add Soda Tax, Limit Size Of Sugary Drinks (VIDEO)

A slate of California bills were introduced Wednesday in an effort to add a soda tax and limit the size of sugary beverages.

The five bills introduced to the California legislature include a proposed tax and warning label, as well as provisions limiting the size, marketing practices and placement of sugary drinks across the state, including Santa Clarita.

Public Health vs. Private Choice

Lawmakers argue there is overwhelming evidence of the link between obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and heart disease with the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.

These sugary beverages include soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks, among others.

The prevalence of obesity in the United States has accelerated dramatically over the past 20 years. In California, 25 percent of adults in California were obese in 2016, which is an increase in obesity prevalence of nearly 40 percent since 2001, according to legislators.

Research shows that almost half the extra calories Americans consume in their diet is derived from sugar-sweetened beverages, with the average American drinking nearly 50 gallons of sugar-sweetened beverages a year, the equivalent of 39 pounds of extra sugar every year, lawmakers said.

But an advocacy group for the beverage industry says these proposed laws go too far.

“These kinds of regressive taxes are not supported by the people of California because they place an unfair burden on working families and neighborhood businesses already struggling with the state’s high cost of living,” said Steven Maviglio, spokesperson for the American Beverage Association (ABA).

The beverage industry is committed to working with the legislature on effective ways to address its budget and public health concerns, and to ensure that food and beverages remain affordable for all Californians, he added.

“This unprecedented commitment to fight obesity by any industry includes long-standing efforts to help people reduce the sugar they get from beverages by offering more choices and smaller portion sizes with less sugar or no sugar at all,” said Maviglio.

The “Big Gulp Ban”

AB 766, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco, would prohibit a retailer from selling an unsealed sugary beverage over 16 ounces.

The bill would define “retailer” as any person, corporation or business that sells or provides a sugar-sweetened beverage to a consumer.

The ban would only apply to “unsealed beverages,” meaning a drink which is dispensed or poured at the business premises.

A violation of this law would be punishable as an infraction, or a civil penalty of $200 for the first violation, $500 for the second violation and $1,000 for each subsequent violation, according to the legislation.

Warning Labels

SB 342, authored by Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, proposed a warning label on sugary drinks similar to warnings on cigarette packages.

The “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act” would prohibit a person from distributing or selling a sugar-sweetened beverage in California unless it bears a safety warning.

“California continues to see a rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes among its residents, and physicians are seeing these health impacts appear in patients at younger and younger ages,” Monning said. “Strong and compelling scientific evidence clearly shows that drinking sodas, sports drinks and other sugary beverages heightens your risk for these preventable chronic diseases.”

This bill, if approved, would be enacted on July 1, 2020, with the first violation resulting in a notice of violation, and a second or subsequent violation punishable by a civil penalty less than $500.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently blocked a similar measure in San Francisco requiring health warnings on soda advertisements, saying it violates constitutionally protected commercial speech.

Soda Tax

AB 138, authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, would create a fund to prevent disease and promote health.

Details of the proposal are still being worked out, but a 2 cents-per-ounce tax would raise a projected $2 billion annually for prevention efforts, said legislators.

The revenue would be used to fund health, education and wellness programs designed to prevent and treat diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Drink Placement and Marketing

The remaining two bills in the package include AB 764, authored by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, which restricts beverage companies from offering and funding promotional and marketing activities for sugar-sweetened beverages.

“Drinking soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages like sports drinks and energy drinks and sweet teas contribute to a number of very serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and obesity,” said Bonta. “These conditions are disproportionately felt in low-income communities.”

A companion bill, AB 765, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, would make specified beverages, including milk and natural fruit and vegetable juice, available in the checkout areas of a store.

The bill aims to support families by offering them the choice to avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient, sugar-sweetened beverages when they do their grocery shopping.

“The evidence is clear. The sugar-sweetened beverage industry is fueling a public health crisis of obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” said Wicks. “My bill helps consumers stick to healthier choices by stopping the manipulative practice of putting sugar-sweetened beverages at the checkout line.”


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Five California Bills Aim To Add Soda Tax, Limit Size Of Sugary Drinks (VIDEO)

6 comments

  1. Oh my goodness, don’t we have bigger issues. ??‍♀️ Stop it already.

  2. This state is crazy specially with a lunatic governor. We already have to put a deposit on drinks to recycle. Turning into a Communist state rapidly. I still remember when we had freedom to choose. My house taxes just went up $215 this year again. Who can afford to live here, especially if you are retired.

  3. First goes trans fat. It causes heart disease they said. Now limits on the size of soda bottles and a tax added to the purchase. They cause obesity they say. Have anyone eaten a hostess cupcake lately without the Trans fat in it? Tastes like a foam sponge. Yuck. Isn’t it my problem if I die of heart disease or because I am a fat sugar lover? I have health insurance! Maybe ban something that causes cancer instead?

  4. I’d like to type something sensible but it wouldn’t resonate in Sacramento since they lack any common sense. Just think how much of our tax dollars get abused by such low level thinking. Since crime and corruption are under control they have to find something to justify their existence. Thank you voters for giving me leaders that are concerned about my waistline and health but not my safety.

  5. Yes, ban soda, it’s bad for your health. But keep pot, abortions and illegals because it’s “the right thing to do”. And of course all the Hitlers in this state who want to ban whatever they can no longer tax and keep us under their thumbs really don’t care about our health unless it stops us from paying these brain dead idiots the taxes they continue to put on us.

  6. I am curious as to what their definition of obesity is? and the ratio of height & weight. Because last time I checked, a person 6′ tall weighing 220 is considered obese according to the BMI from “ClevelandClinic.com”. 190-210 is considered over weight??? Apparently looking like a bean pole is considered healthy.

    (D) David, (D) Bill,(D) Richard, (D) Rob, and (D) Buffy need to take the late Richard Pryor’s advise that he gave to Bill Cosby 35+ years ago… and that was to “Have a Coke & a Smile and Shut the —- Up!”

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.