Short Summary
This November, voters in Richmond, California, will decide on a measure that proposes to tax sugary sodas one-cent per ounce. This is the first measure of its kind in the country to be proposed and Big Soda is desperate to defeat it so that the idea does not spread to other communities. The measure has drawn support from actor-activist Danny Glover and many others.
In our low wealth community, we have huge health problems. More than 1/3 of our children are obese and another 1/3 are overweight. The health effects are enormous for our children who are at great risk of diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and other serious health effects. The single greatest cause of this obesity epidemic are sugar-laden sodas. In our community, the typical child consumes 40 pounds of sugar per year from sugary drinks.
The campaign is spearheaded by Dr. Jeff Ritterman, the retired chief of cardiology at Kaiser Permanente and a member of the Richmond City Council. He has seen first- hand the devastating effects caused by the over-consumption of sugary drinks. Actor-activist Danny Glover has stepped forward to endorse the proposal.
This is a David vs. Goliath battle. Our low wealth community does not have the resources to compete with the enormous campaign money that Big Soda has poured into Richmond -- reportedlu more than $1 million for city that doesn't have 100,000 residents. We are a small grassroots campaign and are convinced that we can win if we get our message out. This is the right thing to do, so we're doing it!
What We Need
We are asking for $25,000 to reach out to inform our voters. With the funding, we will send out two mailers about the soda tax to key Richmond voters so they can make an informed decision.
Since we are a grassroots campaign, we are only requesting small donations. For $3.66, you can buy a 12-pack of a sugary soda. As a result, we are asking for donations of $3.66. We’re going to win this one soda at a time.
What You Get
For every donation we receive, we will crush one soda can in your honor and then present all the crushed cans en masse at a Richmond City Council meeting. We will post photos of this event, noting all the names of the contributors on our IndieGoGo campaign page.
You will also get the real satisfaction that you helped the pass the very first soda tax in the country, improved our community’s (and especially our children’s) health, and set the precedent that opens the possibility for any other community in the country to also propose a soda tax.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can’t contribute, you can still help! Get the word out and tell people what you can do in your community. Share with your social network and use the Indiegogo share tools!
Please "like" us to spread the word!
Wall Street Journal Article: Campaign Over Soda Tax Bubbles Up
San Francisco Chronicle Article: Soda bucks flow against Richmond measure
