Judge rules in favor of former El Monte councilman over soda tax ballot language

EL MONTE – A judge on Tuesday threw out the city’s Measure H soda tax ballot title and language after finding they were biased, false and misleading, according to court documents.

Backed by attorneys from the Washington-DC American Beverage Association, El Monte planning commissioner and former city councilman Art Barrios two weeks ago filed a lawsuit over the city’s ballot language for its formerly titled “Vital City Services/Childhood Obesity Prevention Measure,” which asks voters in the city’s upcoming special election to approve a one-cent per ounce tax on businesses selling sugar-sweetened beverages. More…