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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) is planning to introduce legislation that would assess a surcharge to retailers that sell soda and sugar-sweetened beverages in an effort to help reduce obesity and diabetes among city residents, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. First broached in 2007, the legislation would charge grocery stores and other "big-box" stores, but would not apply to restaurants. To impose a fee on retailers, Newsom would only need approval from the Board of Supervisors, whereas imposing a tax on individual cans or containers of such beverages would require voter approval. Under Newsom's proposal, funding garnered from the surcharge would go to support the Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and to finance media campaigns aimed at reducing consumption of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages. The vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce has opposed the soda tax, saying that the small fee, which will likely be passed to the consumer from the retailer, will do little to alter people's habits. He also expressed concern that the legislation may serve as a gateway to taxes on other junk foods, such as candy bars, ice cream and potato chips. The San Francisco Chronicle notes that, in recent years, city officials have banned the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies, added fees to packs of cigarettes, required chain restaurants to display calorie and fat content on menus and menu boards, and created a program to recognize restaurants that ban trans fats (Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/18/09).