Big money comes in to oppose Santa Fe soda tax
$700K donated by beverage organization
SANTA FE — Big money has come to Santa Fe politics.
The political committee opposing a tax on sugary drinks that goes before voters in May surpassed the $1 million mark in monetary and inkind contributions after receiving a $700,000 cash contribution from the American Beverage Association, according to new campaign finance reports filed with the city clerk’s office on Friday.
Meanwhile, the committee supporting the tax took in less than $1,000 cash during the latest reporting period, March 23 to April 6. But it collected nearly $300,000 in in-kind contributions — most of it from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose charitable group has been active in campaigns supporting so-called “soda” taxes in other cities.
Together, the dueling PACs have taken in more than $900,000 cash and $675,000 worth of in-kind services, and there’s still more than three weeks before the May 2 special election. Voters are being asked whether the city should impose a 2-centsper-ounce tax on the distributors of sugar-sweetened beverages. The estimated $7 million per year from the tax would fund early childhood education services.
The Washington, D.C.-based ABA has now contributed $800,000 cash and $74,474 in in-kind support to Better Way for Santa Fe & Pre-K, the political committee fighting the beverage tax.
“The beverage companies want to stand up for store owners and consumers that will be hit the hardest by this beverage tax,” said David Huynh, a spokesman for the group.
Better Way has spent almost $600,000 so far, and still has more than $202,000 cash on hand. That’s compared to about $100,000 spent so far by the committee supporting the tax, Pre-K for Santa Fe, which reported having $1,400 cash on hand.
Better Way reported Friday spending about $467,000 with three Washington, D.C.-based groups for various campaign-related services and
another $34,500 on a telephone survey by a San Francisco research firm.
“The contrast between the two campaigns couldn’t be more clear,” Sandra Wechsler, a spokeswoman with Pre-K for Santa Fe, the group supporting the tax, said in a statement. “Ours is a homegrown campaign ensuring Pre-K for all 3- and 4-year-olds alongside the New Mexico Pediatric Society, the American Health Association, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and over 150 other local organizations and businesses.”
Bloomberg has now provided Pre-K for Santa Fe with nearly $330,000 in in-kind support for research and media. Albuquerque-based Organizers in the Land Of Enchantment, which previously donated $100,000 in cash to support the tax-for-preK proposal, gave almost $62,000 of in-kind support for canvassing and printing costs in the latest report.
Coca-Cola Bottling of Santa Fe, which has contributed nearly $50,000 worth of in-kind support to Better Way, announced late Thursday that it has also contributed $10,000 to Smart Progress New Mexico, a group that had been circulating a petition to collect names of people questioning the need for the tax.