Now there is a tax on the same product based on the amount and not based on anything other than that...
City of Berkeley Sugary Beverages and Soda Tax Question, Measure D (November 2014)
Ballot question
The question on the ballot was:
Shall an ordinance imposing a 1¢ per ounce general tax on the distribution of high-calorie,
sugary drinks (e.g., sodas, energy drinks, presweetened teas) and sweeteners used to sweeten
such drinks, but exempting: (1) sweeteners (e.g., sugar, honey, syrups) typically used by
consumers and distributed to grocery stores; (2) drinks and sweeteners distributed to very small
retailers; (3) diet drinks, milk products, 100% juice, baby formula, alcohol, or drinks taken for
medical reasons, be adopted?
Full text
The second section of the ordinance, entitled Purpose and Intent, is below:
Section 2. Purpose and Intent
A. Based on the findings set forth above, the purpose of this Ordinance is to diminish
the human and economic costs of diseases associated with the consumption of
sugary drinks by discouraging their distribution and consumption in Berkeley through
a tax. Specifically, the purpose of this ordinance is to tax the distribution of sugary
drinks and the products used to make them.
B. This Ordinance is not intended for the purpose of regulation.
C. This Ordinance does not authorize the conduct of any business or activity in the city,
but merely provides for the taxation of distribution of specified products as it occurs.
D. This Ordinance imposes a general tax on the distribution of sugar-sweetened
beverages such as high-calorie, low-nutrition products, like soda, energy drinks, and
heavily presweetened tea, as well as the added caloric sweeteners used to produce
these sugar-sweetened beverages, such as the premade syrup used to make
fountain drinks. Certain drinks containing sugar are exempted, including infant
formula, milk products, and natural fruit and vegetable juice.
E. This Ordinance provides for a small business exemption for Retailers who transport
sugar-sweetened beverage products into the City themselves and then sell those
products directly to consumers.
F. This general tax will provide revenue to be available for the general governmental
needs of the people of Berkeley.
G. This Ordinance provides for a Sugar Sweetened Beverage Product Panel of
Experts, composed of experts in the areas of public health, child nutrition, nutrition
education, and food access programs. The Panel will make recommendations on
how and to what extent the City should fund programs to further reduce the
consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley and address the
consequences of such consumption.
Many doctors view sepsis as a three-stage syndrome, starting with sepsis and progressing through severe sepsis to septic shock. The goal is to treat sepsis during its mild stage, before it becomes more dangerous.
To be diagnosed with sepsis, you must exhibit at least two of the following symptoms:
Body temperature above 101 F (38.3 C) or below 96.8 F (36 C)
Heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute
Respiratory rate higher than 20 breaths a minute
Probable or confirmed infection
Severe sepsis
Your diagnosis will be upgraded to severe sepsis if you also exhibit at least one of the following signs and symptoms, which indicate an organ may be failing:
Significantly decreased urine output
Abrupt change in mental status
Decrease in platelet count
Difficulty breathing
Abnormal heart pumping function
Abdominal pain
Septic shock
To be diagnosed with septic shock, you must have the signs and symptoms of severe sepsis — plus extremely low blood pressure that doesn't adequately respond to simple fluid replacement.
In theory.
Under the Affordable Care Act, more low-income Californians than ever before are enrolling in Medi-Cal, the state’s public insurance program. Medi-Cal provides dental benefits to children and recently restored them to adults after canceling them almost five years ago.
Since January, about 100,000 people in Orange County have enrolled in Medi-Cal under the ACA, which means they can begin making appointments with dentists who participate in the program.
In addition, 88,500 children in the county who were previously covered by a public insurance program called Healthy Families were transferred to Medi-Cal under state edict. These patients will now obtain dental care from Medi-Cal’s dental program, also known as Denti-Cal.
But while health advocates applaud the changes, noting a significant drop in the ranks of the uninsured, there is great uncertainty about whether these new patients will have dentists to see.
“Right now a lot of dentists are not Denti-Cal providers, which is sad,” said Dulce Medina, the director of prevention and community programs at Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County. “We can’t blame them because their reimbursements are extremely low.”
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