STUDENTS, YES ON Z
Big Soda has spent decades convincing us that sugar-filled drinks are harmless. The reality is that sugar-sweetened beverages are driving up rates of childhood obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Measure Z, which enacts a 2-cent tax on large beverage distributors, can help change that.
Cities like Berkeley and Philadelphia have shown that SSB taxes work, reducing consumption and funding vital community programs. Nonetheless, Big Soda pours millions into misleading campaigns to protect their bottom line in the name of “affordability” and public well-being.
If these companies truly cared about public well-being, Coke and Pepsi wouldn’t top the list of plastic polluters worldwide. They’d support policies proven to lower Medi-Cal costs by reducing SSB consumption. They don’t care about tooth decay, rising health problems in low-income communities, or small businesses unaffected by these taxes. They only care about profit.
Don’t let big soda buy your vote —vote Yes on Measure Z.
Rose Svonkin and Terrence Moore
VOTE YOUR CLIMATE
As the election draws closer, we cannot ignore the growing impact of climate change on our communities. Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton, along with dozens of wildfires this past summer—they’re all clear warning signs of a very real climate crisis.
This issue deserves more attention than it’s received so far this election cycle. During the presidential debate, only one brief question was asked about climate at the very end.
The fact is, the climate crisis impacts us all, no matter where we live or how much money we make. Americans are being told to flee their homes and risk losing everything. Meanwhile, Big Oil continues to put profits over people by prioritizing fossil fuels that continue to destroy our environment.
We cannot afford to lose any more time in the fight against the climate crisis. We need leaders—at the federal, state and local level—who believe in the science of climate change and are willing or can be convinced to take bold action before it’s too late. So I urge everyone: When you cast your ballot this November, think of our planet and the people that call it home.
Patrice Wallace
