California Cities Gear Up To Vote on Ballot Initiatives To Tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

In a California Healthline Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed local ballot initiatives that would tax sugar-sweetened beverages in the California cities of Richmond and El Monte.

Supporters of the initiatives say such taxes would raise funds for anti-obesity programs and improve residents’ health. Opponents say the taxes would hurt local businesses and raise the cost of living.

The Special Report includes comments from:

El Monte Planning Commissioner Art Barrios;
Chuck Finnie, spokesperson for the Community Coalition Against Beverage Taxes;
El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero (D); and
Richmond City Council member Jeff Ritterman (Kennedy, California Healthline, 9/12).

The complete transcript of this Special Report is available as a PDF.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

<h1>California Cities Gear Up To Vote on Ballot Initiatives To Tax Sugar-Sweetened Beverages</h1>
<div>		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2012-09-12T00:00:00-07:00">
			September 12, 2012		</time>
		</div>
<p>In a <i>California Healthline</i> Special Report by Deirdre Kennedy, experts discussed local ballot initiatives that would tax sugar-sweetened beverages in the California cities of Richmond and El Monte.</p><p>Supporters of the initiatives say such taxes would raise funds for anti-obesity programs and improve residents’ health. Opponents say the taxes would hurt local businesses and raise the cost of living.</p><p>The Special Report includes comments from:</p><ul><li>El Monte Planning Commissioner Art Barrios; </li><li>Chuck Finnie, spokesperson for the Community Coalition Against Beverage Taxes; </li><li>El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero (D); and </li><li>Richmond City Council member Jeff Ritterman (Kennedy, <i>California Healthline</i>, 9/12).</li></ul><p>The complete transcript of this Special Report is <a href="https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2012/09/chlspecialreporttranscript091212.pdf">available as a PDF</a>.</p><ul><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages/?share=facebook">				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages/?share=linkedin">				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages/?share=x">				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20California%20Cities%20Gear%20Up%20To%20Vote%20on%20Ballot%20Initiatives%20To%20Tax%20Sugar-Sweetened%20Beverages&body=https%3A%2F%2Fcaliforniahealthline.org%2Fnews%2Fcalifornia-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages%2F&share=email">				Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages/#print?share=print">				Click to print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li><li>				<a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/california-cities-gear-up-to-vote-on-ballot-initiatives-to-tax-sugarsweetened-beverages/view/republish/">					Republish This Story				</a>			</li></ul><em><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us">KFF Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a>.</em><p><a href="https://californiahealthline.org/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to KFF Health News' free Morning Briefing.</p>

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