"On Tuesday, voters in Berkeley, Calif. passed the country's first soda tax with a whopping 75 percent of the vote, a big defeat for the beverage industry, which had poured millions of dollars into blocking the tax," according to the WaPost.
"The university town—population 117,000—was considering a new tax on sodas and other sugar drinks, designed to deter consumers from drinking beverages that public health officials agree are leading to dangerous levels of obesity.
The initiative triggered a huge reaction from the industry. Over at least 10 months, beverage companies spent nearly $2.5 million, or roughly $30 for each registered voter living in Berkeley, to stop the measure, running ads on everything from public transportation, to local newspapers and television, according to local media."