SAN JOSE -- A San Jose city committee Wednesday poured cold water on a proposal to eliminate soda pop, whole milk and other sugary or fattening beverages at city libraries, community centers and other public facilities.

Councilman Ash Kalra's proposal hit a brick wall at the agenda-setting Rules and Open Government committee. Mayor Chuck Reed, who leads the committee, said "this definitely will not make my top 10 list" of potential ordinances to consider. Though he was willing at least to have the council as a whole decide whether to pursue it, none of the other committee members moved to put it in the queue for consideration.

"I think it's overreach," said Councilman Pete Constant, who also sits on the committee.

Sugary beverages in a grocery store.
Sugary beverages in a grocery store. (Reuters file photograph)

Most of the public speakers who attended the afternoon meeting agreed.

"I don't believe in legislation that takes away my opportunities and choices," said Kim Wickstrum, a Los Gatos mother of six who owns property in San Jose, adding that the city should focus on meatier fare like fixing pension costs and police understaffing.

Kalra was gracious about the defeat, thanking supporters as well as critics of his idea, which he felt was misunderstood. He noted that California took similar steps in 2009 banning public schools from offering sodas and that Santa Clara County recently adopted nutrition standards including a provision barring sugar-sweetened beverages at county-funded meetings or events.


"I agree there are plenty of other pressing issues," Kalra said. "We should continue this discussion regardless of what happens today."

Kalra noted that San Jose would hardly be the first city to take aim at sodas, which critics liken to cigarettes as inherently unhealthy beverages that contribute to obesity and chronic disease. But despite some restrictions at the state and local level, other soda limits have failed.


Kalra suggested the city bar sodas -- regular or diet -- as well as artificially sweetened sports drinks and whole milk from being sold at city facilities such as libraries, community centers and City Hall. He acknowledged a need to exempt "commercial" city properties such as the SAP Center that hosts the Sharks hockey team, and stressed the intention was to limit "what the city offers, not what you put in your picnic basket."

But the reaction was so hostile that even Constant was moved to state that despite their disagreement on the proposal, "Ash is not a bad guy" and the "crude comments" some had emailed in response are "not OK."
