Local Taxes On Sodas May Be Banned If Eleventh-Hour Business-Labor Deal Goes Through
Existing soda bans would be grandfathered in, but under the agreement cities and counties would be barred through the end of 2030 from enacting new taxes on groceries including beverages.
Capital Public Radio:
Business-Labor Deal Would Ban California Cities, Counties From Enacting New Soda Taxes
An eleventh-hour deal between business and labor groups could ban new local taxes on sodas — while avoiding a ballot showdown that could make it harder for cities, counties and school districts to raise other taxes. The agreement involves an initiative that’s close to qualifying for the November ballot that would raise the voter approval threshold for general sales tax increases and extensions from a majority to two-thirds. (Adler, 6/26)
In other news from across the state —
Capital Public Radio:
California Prison’s New Hospice Garden Offers Dying Inmates Rare Chance To Reflect
The garden opened earlier this month to give patients in the prison’s hospice ward a place to rest and reflect during their final days. Inmates come here to sunbathe, pray, or speak with family. It’s part of a new approach to helping prisoners find peace while dying behind bars. (Caiola, 6/25)
The Cannifornian:
Bay Area Cannabis Dispensaries Dump Treatwell Tinctures As #PermitPatty Backlash Spreads
At least three Bay Area marijuana dispensaries have announced they will no longer carry TreatWellHealth products after TreatWell founder Alison Ettel appeared in a viral video threatening to call the police on an 8-year-old black girl selling water in San Francisco, earning Ettel the nickname “Permit Patty” on social media. (Lam, 6/25)
Oakland Tribune:
Lawsuit Alleges Neglect At Alameda Facility Led To Death
Negligent care at a skilled nursing facility that included an unreported fall led to the death of a 61-year-old Stockton woman, according to a lawsuit. Cathy Campbell, who suffered from hypertension and chronic kidney failure, was being treated at the Alameda Healthcare & Wellness Center, 430 Willow St., in 2017 when she developed a severe bedsore and urinary tract infections that worsened because the facility was understaffed and could not properly care for her, the lawsuit filed June 12 in Superior Court in Los Angeles County alleges. Campbell died Dec. 7, 2017, while being treated at Golden LivingCenter – Chateau in Stockton. (Hegarty, 6/25)