The time before election day shifts from days into hours, signaling the last opportunities to vote in the 2024 election. Ayo Banjo, former UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly President and current marketing director for the Resource Center for Nonviolence, is one of many community members who oppose Measure Z. Days before the election, City on a Hill Press sat down with him to discuss why.

Measure Z is one of the most contentious items on the local ballot, asking voters whether or not they want to impose a $0.02 tax per fluid ounce on sugar-sweetened beverages. While the tax could raise as much as $1.3 million in revenue for the city, Banjo argues that the money would come from the pockets of our community’s most vulnerable members.

“There’s a huge disparity already in the economics of this,” Banjo said. “Who can afford to make this shift? Older, white, more well-off people. And who [is] going to be most affected? The people of color, who are working our fields, who are working the farms, who are working our streets, who are working our janitorial areas.” 

Though the language of the measure suggests that it could be used for parks, recreation and public health, the revenue generated by the tax would go into the city’s general fund and could be spent on anything. A community oversight panel would be formed to make recommendations for the funds use. Proponents of the measure argue that the tax serves as a way to discourage the purchase of sugary drinks. They say this will decrease excess sugar consumption and its associated negative health outcomes.

The tax would apply to any beverage that has more than 40 calories per 12 ounces and is sweetened with cane sugar — which includes many sodas and energy drinks, as well as unexpected items such as certain kinds of kombucha and coconut water. According to a UC Davis study, taxes on sugary beverages and junk food are generally ineffective in the state of California and disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities. 

“This is a tax on everyday consumers and we should be focusing on reducing the cost of healthy food to ensure that people are making the best choices possible while ensuring that they can afford to make those choices,” Banjo said. “You don’t build momentum around health issues by trying to tax more families. You do that by bringing the community together and trying to think about community oriented solutions.”

For weeks, “No on Z” advertisements have been appearing on  social media feeds and across the county. So far, roughly $1.7 million has been spent by Campaign for an Affordable Santa Cruz, according to campaign finance disclosures. The group, whose sole cause is the opposition of Measure Z, is sponsored by corporations such as the Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper.

Some supporters of the measure have expressed concerns over the “No on Z” campaign’s ties to global corporate entities. While Banjo acknowledges that he would prefer if “big soda” was not involved in this election, his concern lies most with the impact it will have on the community.

“All of that is a distraction to me, as an organizer,” Banjo said. “The most important part of this whole equation to me is [whether or not] everyday families are going to have to carry the burden of this tax. And the answer is yes, so that is enough for me to come out against this.”

Students make up a substantial portion of the city’s population, and how the campus votes could sway this election. Banjo’s experiences as a UCSC student as well as his knowledge of the challenges current students face are cornerstones to his view of this issue and have greatly influenced his opinion.

“Students are having to pay the cost of increasing tuition, having to pay the cost of one of the least affordable housing markets in the world and having to take on all these additional burdens,” Banjo said. “Students are having to face off all these different economic and social pressures. And on top of that, now you wanna make it harder for them to put a drink on their table at the end of the day.”

Above all, Banjo believes the potential damage of Measure Z on marginalized communities outweighs the benefits it could have on the well-being of the people who live in Santa Cruz. 

“Health is not on the ballot,” Banjo said. “Cost is on the ballot.”