Vote for Your Community!

Voters in Oakland, Albany, and San Francisco can follow Berkeley’s lead in establishing a soda tax. Measure 01 in Albany, Measure HH in Oakland, and Proposition V in San Francisco place a tax of one cent per ounce on the distribution of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda, energy drinks, and presweetened teas. Consumption of sugary drinks is linked to multiple health problems including diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease. Organizations endorsing Oakland’s tax include the American Heart Association, all Oakland elected officials, the Alameda County Dental Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the California Diabetes Association.

Statewide, Prop 67 is a referendum on the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags. Voting “yes” would allow the 2014 state ban to go into effect, in which case single-use plastic bags would not be allowed at grocery stores, convenience stores, large pharmacies, and liquor stores. Stores would be required to charge for paper or thicker plastic carry-out bags. Voting “no” on Prop 67 would prevent the state law from going into effect. A wide range of environmental, government, business, and civic groups support Prop 67, including Save the Bay, the Surfrider Foundation, and the Sierra Club California.

Prop 65 is about how money from purchased grocery bags will be spent. Most environmental groups who fought for the plastic bag ban, such as the Surfrider Foundation and Californians Against Waste, oppose Prop. 65. They say it’s a ploy to confuse voters so they simply vote “no” on both plastic bag measures, thus defeating the statewide ban passed by the Legislature.

Here are more details on Props 65 and 67: Prop 65 redirects revenue from bag fees to a special fund administered by the Wildlife Conservation Board to support environmental projects. If voters approve the statewide ban (Prop 67) and reject Prop 65, then all retailers would be required to use the funds to pay for reusable bags and educational campaigns. If voters pass both measures, then whichever measure has more “yes” votes becomes the rule for how to spend the money. If voters reject the statewide ban and approve Prop 65, then cities and counties with local bans can continue to use funds as currently set up or they can direct the money to the new special environment fund.

All info above is from KQED’s online voter’s guide: here