Opposition Growing Against Measure H

Nearly 200 local businesses have joined together to oppose Measure H, saying another new tax will hurt existing businesses and discourage new ones from coming to the city.
Measure H would require businesses like restaurants, grocery stores and movie theaters to pay the city a tax on all sweetened beverages sold within El Monte, including soda, fruit juice, chocolate milk, aguas frescas, horchata, boba milk teas and hundreds of other products.
The El Monte/South El Monte Chamber of Commerce, and its 350 member businesses, have also come out in opposition to the Measure H tax that will be on the November ballot.
Blanca Gonzalez, Owner of Piñata World, one of the many small business that would be affected by the tax measure, said: “A bad economy has left El Monte with too many vacant storefronts. Residents of the city want new grocery stores and more options. Measure H will discourage new stores from coming to the city and increase the burden on existing businesses.”
Measure H would require businesses in El Monte to pay the city a one-cent per ounce tax on every non-alcoholic beverage containing sugar, fruit juice concentrate, sucrose, fructose or glucose. An initial audit by “No on Measure H” found that hundreds of beverages sold in El Monte would be subject to the new tax. Business owners would be required to understand the ingredients then calculate the tax based on volume.
At a meeting at the El Monte Chamber of Commerce, the mayor publicly acknowledged he doesn’t know how Measure H, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2013, would be implemented or how many products would be affected.

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