Two California cities will hold votes on soda tax

The threat of a soda tax has come up more than once in Philadelphia. In two California cities, voters will decide in November whether to implement a penny-per-ounce sugary beverage tax.

As of late May before Philadelphia City Council passed its budget, Council and Mayor Michael Nutter were on different sides of the soda tax debate, but Nutter had let the issue drop.Like in Philadelphia, California cities Richmond and El Monte are considering the tax as a way to increase revenue and fight obesity. According to stats cited by the Advisory Board Company, those cities have California’s highest proportions of obese and overweight children.

And just like in Philadelphia, the American Beverage Association is not going down without a fight. The company that represents Coke and Pepsi continues to invest money in anti-soda tax campaigns.