Soda tax brewing

Residents of San Francisco and Berkeley will vote on whether to tax sugar-sweetened beverages in November, and the outcomes may have national implications.

In San Francisco, Proposition E would tax 2 cents per ounce of sugary beverages, which would raise an estimated $30 million annually for nutrition and physical education programs, according to California Healthline. That measure would require a two-thirds majority vote to pass; a poll conducted in May found that 54 percent of San Francisco residents support Prop. E, while 44 percent opposed it.

In Berkeley, however, Measure D would impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened drinks—which would bring an estimated $1 million to $3 million to the city’s general fund—and needs a simple majority vote to pass.

Analysts say that if either measure becomes law, other municipalities across the country could follow suit, but if both fail, cities could be discouraged from even considering a sugary-beverage tax.