Coca-Cola soda was proudly displayed at a Walmart Super Center in Compton on Jan. 10, 2017, as captured in a photo by Mike Blake of Reuters.
Last week, the small beach town of Santa Cruz up north decided to slap a tax on sodas, ice teas, and other sugar-laden beverages. The voters gave the green light to a 2-cent-per-ounce tax in November, despite the beverage industry dropping over $1.2 million in opposition.
Aside from raking in an estimated $1.3 million for the city, the tax is aimed at putting the brakes on folks chugging down too many sugary drinks, which studies have shown is not great for your health. Blythe Young, a lobbyist for the American Heart Association, a big fan of the tax, pointed out that guzzling too many sugary drinks can set you on a path towards heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
• Young: “The average Joe in America sucks down a whole bathtub’s worth of sugar from sugary drinks every year, that’s like 30 gallons, folks.”
But this tax is kind of a rebel move against state law — sort of.
Let’s take a step back: Back in 2018, California lawmakers struck a deal with Big Beverage to ban local governments from rolling out their own grocery taxes until 2030.
This law even said that the state would hold back sales tax money from any city trying to bring in its own grocery tax, even if a court said it was all good for the city to do so.
Charter cities, which get a bit more leeway from some state laws under California’s constitution, weren’t too thrilled about this part. Santa Cruz, in particular, was all set to put a soda tax on the ballot, but had to ditch those plans.
Fast forward to 2023, a state appeals court said that holding back the revenue part of the law was a no-go, giving Santa Cruz the thumbs up to move forward with its soda tax. So, the law against cities doing their own grocery tax is still around, but it’s kind of toothless now (ironic considering it’s supposed to protect sugar consumption).
In a statement to CalMatters, the American Beverage Association sounded off, calling Santa Cruz’s tax illegal and a “bummer for working families trying to make ends meet with prices shooting through the roof.”
A legal battle brewing here would be yet another instance of a city trying to carve out some more freedom. Lately, cities have been scrapping with the state over housing rules, voting regulations, and book bans. But instead of going toe-to-toe with the state (or even the feds sometimes), Santa Cruz would be up against a mega-billion dollar industry.
• Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Vice Mayor of Santa Cruz: “Bring it on. … It shouldn’t be a situation where the fat cats or special interests are calling the shots on how a city, county, or state runs the show. That’s just not right.”
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CalMatters is getting some well-deserved praise: Our collaborations with CBS News are up for two Northern California Emmy awards, following two wins before, for some seriously deep reporting with our Digital Democracy.
And that’s not all, folks:
Prisons are not ready for disasters, a report reveals
The California State Prison stands by the reborn Tulare Lake in the southern Central Valley on April 13, 2023. Photo by George Rose, Getty
As President Donald Trump gives the thumbs up to the Department of Justice and FBI to dust off Alcatraz as a prison, a review of 30 active state prisons spilled the tea on California’s correctional system being totally unprepared for natural disasters, according to CalMatters’ Cayla Mihalovich.
In a report released last week, an independent watchdog said that when it comes to emergencies, like, the prisons are a bit of a hot mess. Issues with transportation, overcrowding, and a tendency to shuffle prisoners around within the walls instead of getting them out during a crisis are just some of the red flags.
• The report: “The department can’t bust out the inmates and staff at most prisons within the first crucial 72 hours of an emergency. If the prisons can’t evacuate fast enough, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes could spell disaster for the folks inside.”
In 2023, storms threatened to swamp two San Joaquin Valley prisons. Luckily, the prisons dodged the bullet, but it was a big wake-up call for the department to get its act together with better evacuation plans.
Some human rights crusaders are not surprised by the findings, saying it’s just more proof of the department’s inability to face up to climate hazards.
Read on for more deets.
Now on the menu: CalMatters’ photo magic
Crab pots doing their thing in Bodega Bay on April 11, 2025. Fishermen and local eateries are feeling the squeeze from a statewide salmon ban and crab harvesting restrictions. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters
Over at CalMatters, we’re all about capturing the juiciest shots to pair with our stories from around the state. This week, we’re showing off four photos that bring a little extra something to the table.
In the shot above, the crab pots add a pop of color and texture to a story about Bodega Bay’s changing economic landscape. Check out the angles and perspectives in a snap of kiddos at a Dia del Niño bash, versus a portrait of a couple grappling with the aftermath of the January fires in Los Angeles. And don’t miss the raw emotion on display as a mom pours her heart out testifying in front of the Legislature.
Kids and families get their groove on during a Dia del Niño fiesta at St. John’s ECS Head Start in Chula Vista on April 30, 2025. Trump wants to axe Head Start funding in his budget plan for Congress. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters
Sam Strgacich (left) and his wife Rossana Valverde hold it down at home in Pasadena on April 26, 2025. They’re trying to settle up with State Farm to cover the costs of fixing up damage from the January Eaton Fire. Photo by Joel Angel Juarez for CalMatters
Christine Dougherty (right) lays it all out in support of Senate Bill 363, aiming to keep health care plans in check, at the Senate Committee on Health in Sacramento on April 9, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters
And to wrap it up: Trump sets his sights on CA’s climate laws
The Chevron refinery in Richmond on Feb. 21, 2024. Photo by Loren Elliott for CalMatters
California Voices
CalMatters’ wordsmith Dan Walters weighs in: Lawmakers are cooking up bills to hit oil companies with fines for climate messes, but if it goes through, those costs could slide right down to customers.
When the going gets tough economically, slashing social safety nets only ramps up the inequality, and state lawmakers need to have the backs of California’s most vulnerable as they hash out the budget, says Chris Hoene, bigwig at the California Budget & Policy Center.
Other cool stuff worth a peek:
You might need a sub to read some of these stories.
CA lawmakers are bracing for a $10B budget pothole — without Uncle Sam’s cuts // Politico
CA and other states throw down with Trump’s wind energy plans // The San Diego Union-Tribune
CA libraries dodge Trump’s budget knife, for now // San Francisco Chronicle
The CA governor hopefuls talk Israel-Palestine tension // Los Angeles Times
CA Sen. Weber Pierson leans into her medical know-how in the health safety net fight // California Healthline
CA’s snowpack is set to melt, here’s why // San Francisco Chronicle
Cities like SF are slowly sinking, literally // KQED
Over 100 schools in Stanislaus County are caught in pesticide woes. What’s the move? // The Modesto Bee
Fresno schools host ethnic grad ceremonies despite fed pushback // The Fresno Bee
The Edison electric tower linked to the Eaton Fire is coming down for testing // Los Angeles Times
And that’s a wrap, folks. Hope you found something worth your while in all that.
