In the midst of his campaign last fall, Bill de Blasio was pretty unequivocally anti-big-soda — “a ban on large sugary drinks is an important part of any public health agenda” was one way he put it. Yesterday, city lawyers announced they’ll indeed fight for Bloomberg’s sugary soda ban when it goes before the Court of Appeals in June.
Per the New York State Supreme Court, which struck the ban down in March of 2013, Mayor Bloomberg’s mistakes were twofold: His end-run through the Department of Health, as opposed to letting other legislative bodies vote on the ban, was objectionable, Judge Milton A. Tingling ruled, along with the language of the proposed health code. Though specific details haven’t yet been announced, de Blasio now seems poised to address both. He’s said he’s fine giving City Council a vote, and he’s pretty sure he can clarify the rules and how they would apply to businesses. “We could do a much better job of working with parents and working with communities to help them understand why this is a good idea and get their buy-in,” the mayor said in January.
The case will be heard June 4, the Law Department tells the Daily News.
Bloomberg’s Soda Ban Bubbles Back to Life Under Mayor de Blasio Administration [NYDN]
Related: State Appeals Court Reviews New York’s Soda Ban
