Exciting news! The City of Berkeley is moving forward with implementation of Measure D. Today, City Council shared the announcement below about the creation of the Panel of Experts. The panel will advise Council on how to spend proceeds from the tax.
Interested applicants should fill out and return the application available here to the City Clerk by January 17, 2015.
This Panel of Experts is part of a strong, successful implementation of Berkeley’s soda tax. Please help make this the best panel possible by sharing this announcement and application widely. Others are looking closely at what’s happened here, like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, who last week named Berkeley’s soda tax as one of “Top 10 Signs We Are Building a Culture of Health.”
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To the Berkeley Community,
As you probably know, Berkeley successfully passed the historic Measure D Soda Tax in November. The City Council is now soliciting applications for the Panel of Experts (POE), as outlined in the Measure, to advise the Council on how to spend the proceeds from the tax.
As Berkeley is the first municipality in the nation to successfully tax sugar-sweetened drinks, people all across the country are watching our implementation. This is an invitation to participate in that process.
The POE is charged with advising the City Council on how and to what extent the City should establish and/or fund programs to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley. Annual reports will also provide the City Council with an analysis of the impact of this new ordinance on the public health of Berkeley residents.
Attached is a one page POE application that includes the particular qualifications required for membership. If you are interested, we hope that you will fill out and return the application to the City Clerk by the deadline, January 17, 2015.
In addition, please forward this application to anyone you think may be interested. We are seeking members from across Berkeley representing the economic, gender and racial diversity in our community.
The entire City Council will receive the full set of applications to review. By the end of February each Councilmember will appoint one person to serve per the Fair Representation Ordinance.
This is an exciting time for Berkeley and your service could provide an invaluable contribution to improving the health of our community. We on the Council subcommittee look forward to moving ahead.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Linda Maio, District 1
Councilmember Darryl Moore, District 2
Councilmember Max Anderson, District 3
Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, District 5
If you are a member of an organization or group, please forward this invitation to your fellow members. Applications should be returned to City Clerk, 2180 Milvia St., Berkeley, CA 94704 or emailed to commission@cityofberkeley.info.
Should you wish to see the full text of the Measure, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/o4gpaxn.
