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California has led the way on soda taxes. Now, it is leading the way in a new industry strategy to kill them.

Soda taxes were cooked up as policies meant to discourage consumption of sugary drinks, which have been linked to diabetes, obesity and tooth decay. The first city in the United States to pass one was liberal Berkeley, after more than three dozen failed attempts around the country. From there, the idea gained momentum, and three California municipalities passed similar taxes in 2016.

It’s too soon to know whether soda taxes will improve public health. But early evidence suggests that they do work in making soda more expensive, and lowering sales. Those effects are in keeping with the goals of advocates, but irritating to the companies that make, bottle, distribute and sell sugary beverages.

But that may be the end of the line. We spoke with legislators for and against soda taxes, and all of them told us they expect that a bill backed by the soda industry to bar cities and counties from passing new taxes on food or drinks will pass the Legislature and be signed by the governor today.