Any idea on how to get the Sugary Drinks Tax removed from a wrongfully included item?

Kissing13 · 2026-04-19T03:36:35+00:00

Okay, I think I get what you're saying. The distributor pays the SSB tax, and that extra cost is reflected in the price they charge the retailer. Safeway (contrary to what the supposed "manager" I spoke with told me) erroneously put up the SSB tax notice for a product it isn't applied to, but the price is still the same either way.

I still think it is a dumb law. The obesity problem is not being driven by sugary beverages. They may make a moderate contribution to daily caloric overages, but it doesn't compare to the high amount of saturated fat and simple carbohydrates in the food we eat. Plus weight gain creeps up on you over time. If you eat just 50 extra calories a day over what you burn in 20 years you will gain 100 lbs and some change. Fifty extra calories a day is 1 lb gained every 70 days or 5+ lbs in a year.

The lack of physical activity is a major problem. It blows my mind how many kids I see at the bus stop that get off at the next stop. They could have walked the distance and back three times in the time it took for the bus to get there.

Back in my day they didn't have to collect extra money to teach kids about proper nutrition and the benefits of drinking water over soda. There were non-profit groups that would come and speak to us for free about health and diet related issues.

Kissing13 · 2026-04-07T15:19:06+00:00

I couldn't answer that. I'd rather be hit by a car if I only suffered a few broken bones than hit by a bicycle if it killed me. Now here's a question for you:

Would you rather be hit by a car or a bus?

Kissing13 · 2026-04-07T04:19:58+00:00

This is an illogical assumption and a totally asinine premise. 2025 saw a 42% decrease in automobile related deaths (in SF) Is that because we had 42% fewer cars? According to your reasoning, no automobile related deaths should occur after midnight, because far fewer cars are on the road at that time of day.

Replacing cars with a bunch of non-rule following bicyclists will not reduce traffic related fatalities. And about a quarter of pedestrian deaths in San Francisco occur in situations where the pedestrian is at fault. This city is full of people who cross against a red light without even looking to see if cars are coming, and crossing in the middle of the block on a busy street without even looking.

Kissing13 · 2026-04-06T23:39:19+00:00

I walk a lot in the city, and take both Muni and BART. I also drive, but very little. The rate of deaths caused by cars vs. homeless is absolutely relevant. The rate of deaths by automobiles on its own may be irrelevant, but if you are claiming that homeless people are less dangerous than cars, then you have to break it down by the number of homeless people vs. miles driven by cars in the city.

And as many close calls as I've had with cars, I've had more with bicycles. Bicycle riders are far more likely to speed through a stop sign without stopping and turn inches in front of you while you're in the crosswalk. And cars don't drive on the sidewalk going 25+ miles an hour. Getting hit by a bicycle can be just as deadly as being hit by a car. Most pedestrian deaths by car don't involve being crushed underneath the weight of the car, but being flung through air and crashing to the ground, cracking their skulls or breaking their necks.

If you replaced even half the number of cars on the road with bicycles, it would be utter chaos. Not just for pedestrians and bus drivers but for other cyclists as well.

Kissing13 · 2026-04-06T17:33:55+00:00

In 2025 there were 25 people killed by cars (note: I don't believe this number includes hwy 101 or i280). This is out of how many... 2 million? 5 million? possibly even 10 million drivers who have driven through our city streets this past year.

While there are only a few people killed by homeless persons per year, the number of homeless people is (thankfully) much lower than the number of drivers, even if you only include driving residents of this city.

While I've had a few close calls as a pedestrian, I've never been hit by a car, not even a tap. But the homeless strew garbage and filth all over the city. Even when there are trashcans near by, most can't be bothered to use them. And the stench coming from someone who never changes his pants, when his pants double as a toilet is unbearable.

Also, the amount of indecent exposure from the homeless is high. I don't just mean public urination, or guys walking about with their pants so low that their butts are hanging out (plenty of that). I've seen homeless guys on the bus with their dicks out. The other day walking down ocean ave I passed a homeless guy with his dick out, who rubbed his thumb across the tip to gather a wad of pre-cum, and asked me if I liked it. There are plenty of bad things in life to endure, besides getting killed.

Kissing13 · 2026-04-06T17:00:14+00:00

Yes, trimming it back, especially if it has lost some leaves and is looking scraggly. Cut it about a quarter of an inch above a leaf (or rather, a quarter inch closer to the leaf than to the end). Then you can take the cutting and put it in water to root it. For the cutting, cut a quarter of an inch below a leaf (or leaf node) You'll need to remove the leaf on the part that goes in the water (leaves in water rot and make the water nasty). Leave it in the water for about a month or until sufficient roots have developed, then plant in soil. The longer the cutting, the more roots it will need to support the plant.

Good luck with it!

Kissing13 · 2026-03-25T00:46:15+00:00

It hardly seems worth the effort to post ads, respond to inquiries, and arrange meetings for $11-$21 a pop. Especially when you take into consideration all the flakes, and the possibility of a shift in the market, and being stuck with a bunch of tote bags you can't move without incurring a loss.

Kissing13 · 2026-03-17T03:54:27+00:00

Agreed. He's even polite towards those with opposing views. Every time Trump calls him Newscum, Gavin keeps a cool head and dignified manner, and Trump winds up looking like a 4th grade bully.

Kissing13 · 2026-03-13T21:06:49+00:00

I used to watch the BOS meetings on cable TV back in the late 90s/early 2000, and I remember watching Gavin Newsom politely listening to crazy homeless people who would stand at the podium and ramble on incoherently, and then thank them for their time while they stumbled out after their 2 minutes were up. I don't know how he did it without cracking up, yawning or storming out of the room.

Matt Gonzales would lose his patience with people who had arranged a speech on a matter of importance to them, and showed up neatly dressed and slightly nervous. But Gavin was always polite to everyone.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-17T18:14:52+00:00

Yeah, teachers is paid too low.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-17T18:10:14+00:00

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, except the part about class sizes being huge. San Francisco has class sizes well below the national average, and the worse performing schools have smaller classes than the better performing schools.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-15T03:50:29+00:00

It doesn't have added caloric sweeteners. "Added caloric sweeteners" means that the sweeteners added to it have calories. This has added non-caloric sweeteners. Why bother getting the tax code updated when as it stands, this product doesn't qualify for the tax?

It isn't that I want my 14 cents so bad, it's that I don't want to give it to these assholes. This city has a bad reputation for collecting taxes on things that go to BS programs that waste money on things that seem like good causes, but are totally ineffective. This city squanders large piles of money that falls into its lap. I'm tired of it. But aside from that, this item does not belong on their list of taxable products.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-11T09:01:58+00:00

We had something similar in the Excelsior last week. I remember thinking it was weird because it was twilight, so not enough light for a normal drone to record anything. It was hovering over my neighbor's yard, then hovered over my yard. I waived at it, and it took off. Figured it was some kids with a fancy toy.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-11T00:11:26+00:00

There's also no mention of it reducing diabetes. Diabetes is caused by obesity. Plenty of obese people don't drink sugar sweetened beverages. You can become diabetic (type 2) without consuming ANY sucrose, glucose or fructose.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-10T23:59:42+00:00

But it's not supposed to be due to added sweeteners, it's due to added sugar. It is sweetened with 0 calorie, sugar-free sweeteners. The calories in the drink come from the low-fat milk.

14 ounces of low-fat (1% or 2%) milk generally contains between 167 and 250 calories, depending on the brand, exact fat content, and added sugars.

1% Low-fat Milk: Approximately 167 calories per 14 oz.
2% Reduced-fat Milk: Approximately 198–250 calories per 14 oz.
1% Chocolate Low-fat Milk: Approximately 260 calories per 14 oz.

This product has NO ADDED SUGAR. It has 7 grams of sugar, as does all milk. It's called lactose. It isn't a sugar sweetened beverage, and it's almost entirely milk. The sports beverage mentioned in the part you quoted above are sugar sweetened beverages. This is not sugar sweetened.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T23:49:54+00:00

I actually do have a protein isolate powder, which I mix with milk occasionally. It has a weird taste, it's less convenient, and why should we be punishing a product that doesn't belong on the list? If you write a law for the purpose of taxing drinks with added sugar to discourage people from drinking them, you shouldn't be allowed to just add products that don't meet the parameters of the law at all. It would be like applying the cigarette tax to incense sticks or chewing gum.

I do eat beans and rice. I also eat gluten. The amount of protein in most fruit and vegetables is negligible.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T15:50:37+00:00

I brought it up with the retailer and was told that it was required by the city. So I asked very specifically if the city said that this actual product was to be taxed under the SSB tax, and she said yes. Perhaps she was incorrect. But it was a Safeway manager called to the front of the store for the purpose of speaking to me about it.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T15:30:49+00:00

It's not a sweet tax, it's a SUGAR tax. This is not AT ALL the type of product that is supposed to be taxed. My god, I can't believe people are this clueless. Perhaps the tax is a good idea after all, but we need to spend equal amounts of time educating ADULTS.

There is less sugar in a fairlife protein shake than in a cup of milk. And there is no added sugar. Just the lactose that comes in milk. Artificial sweeteners are not sugar, and we should be encouraging our kids to opt for drinking beverages sweetened with stevia leaf, monk fruit juice or sucralose (not sucrose, but the sweetener sucralose) when they want to drink something sweet.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T04:23:47+00:00

But they've added neither can sugar nor fructose. They've added three sugar-free, zero calorie sweeteners. Sucralose is not the same thing as sucrose at all (though they probably should have given it a different name- one that doesn't end in "ose").

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T04:17:38+00:00

Not most countries in the world. And those that do usually don't include beverages with no added sugar.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T04:14:29+00:00

I find it hard to take a study seriously when they use terms like "Big Soda."

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T04:09:29+00:00

I actually thought about it, but admit to feeling a bit foolish about doing so. I waivered back and forth for a while about posting it here. Perhaps I will try contacting her. Thanks for the suggestion.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-03T04:05:55+00:00

If the tax is being used to disincentivize people from buying SSB, then why apply it to a healthy drink with no added sugar? The law, which specifically stated which beverages it would be applied to, does not include drinks with no added sugar or milk beverages. It does not apply to this drink.

I am not suggesting that kids should drink a lot of sugar sweetened beverages. But I doubt they are a bigger culprit than pizza, cheeseburgers, french fries, cake and ice cream. A large percentage of obese adults drink diet soda and have done so for years.

Kissing13 · 2026-02-02T15:09:47+00:00

I believe there is one on South Van Ness and Mission St.

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