City Council Approves South LA Fast Food Ban

With the state banning trans fats and a committee unaminously approving the South LA Fast Food Ban last week, there was little doubt what the City Council would do today, earthquake or no. From the AP:

"The Los Angeles City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a low-income area of the city.

The moratorium unanimously approved Tuesday is a bid to attract restaurants that offer healthier food choices to residents in a 32-square-mile area of South Los Angeles.

Councilwoman Jan Perry says residents at five public meetings expressed concern with the proliferation of fast-food outlets in the community plagued by above-average rates of obesity.

Nearly three-quarters of the restaurants in South L.A. are fast-food outlets. That's a higher percentage than other parts of the city but the restaurant industry says the moratorium won't help bring in alternatives."

California Restaurant Associate spokesman Andrew Casana said the moratorium is misguided, that fast food "is the only industry that wants to be in those South LA neighborhoods," and that if sit-down restaurants wanted to be there, they'd be there. Perry would like to see restaurants like Souplantation, Subway, Marie Callendar's or Hometown Buffet in these areas instead of more McDonald's and Burger Kings because "They are oriented toward family and the pricing is decent and reasonable and you get a good value." But the "nutritional" value isn't any better at those chains, so why is this ban helpful?
· All Fast Food Ban Coverage [~ELA]