it'll be interesting to see what Arnie will do on this one...
soda ban becomes law``...
ALMOST UNNOTICED amid the recall fever of the past few weeks was Gov. Gray Davis' decision to sign landmark legislation that will ban the sale of sugar-filled sodas in elementary, middle and junior high schools throughout California.
We strongly supported the bill, titled the California Childhood Obesity Prevention Act, as it overcame hurdle after hurdle in the state Legislature. In the final vote in the Assembly, it passed without a single vote to spare. Although supported by virtually every leading health organization in the state, the bill had to overcome tough opposition from a slew of soda industry lobbyists, as well as unfounded fears among some legislators that schools which rely on income from soda sales would suffer.
To our disappointment, these pressures succeeded in watering down the bill, authored by a determined Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento. High schools have been exempted from the ban -- even though that is where the majority of soda sales take place. ...
This is where Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger comes in. As someone who has been fixated on physical fitness, and made children a top priority in his campaign, he should work to expand the soda law to include high schools as well. ...
He'll also have an opportunity to put into practice his oft-declared disdain for "special interests." If the soda interest doesn't quality as a special interest, we don't know what does.
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