LA to Vote on Fast Food Ban in Low Income Areas

[bicentennial_baby]

LOS ANGELES - In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, fast food is the easiest cuisine to find — and that's a problem for elected officials who see it as an unhealthy source of calories and cholesterol.

The City Council was poised to vote Tuesday on a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a swath of the city where a proliferation of such eateries goes hand-in-hand with obesity.

"Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods," City Councilman Bernard Parks said.

The aim of the yearlong moratorium, which was approved last week in committee, is to give the city time to try to attract restaurants that serve healthier food.

-snip-

The proposed ban comes at a time when governments of all levels are increasingly viewing menus as a matter of public health. Last Friday, California became the first state in the nation to bar trans fats, which lowers levels of good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol.

It also comes as the Los Angeles City Council tackles issues beyond safety, schools and streets. The council last week decided to outlaw plastic bags.

Fast-food restaurants have found themselves in the frying pan in a number of cities. Some places, including Carmel-by-the Sea and Calistoga, have barred "formula" restaurants altogether; others have placed a cap on them — Arcata allows a maximum of nine fast-food eateries; others have prohibited the restaurants in certain areas, such as Port Jefferson, N.Y., in its waterfront area.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/fast_food_ban

[islandmkl]

1. we will save you from yourselves...

you poor, ignorant people....


you need some restaurants like we have in beverly hills....

[XemaSab]

15. Let them eat quiche

:P

[DJ13]

2. What a bunch of idiots

Those fast food joints also happen to be the biggest employers in those impoverished areas.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. That is a good point...

Does seem shortsighted, at best.

[liberal1973]

5. I agree

[EFerrari]

10. No kidding. Why not tweak the menu instead? n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

21. So, instead of a fast food joint, why not a grocery store? n/t

[Wizard777]

3. It smells like they are cooking up a Bill of Attainder.

[ColbertWatcher]

27. What do you mean? And who do you think you are introducing lawyer talk...

...in a thread free from the stain of legalities?

:sarcasm"

[MonkeyFunk]

32. How so?

It's not a bill finding anybody guilty of anything.

Governments frequently place limits on industries. Cities control where liquor stores can go, what inner-city liquor stores can sell, etc. etc. Those laws aren't Bills of Attainder.

[Wizard777]

39. Yes they regulate liquor stores. But those rules apply state wide.

When they say you can't have a liquor store within 1,000 feet of a school. That applies to Compton as well as Beverly Hills. What this bill does is unfairly target low income areas. The law doesn't apply to everyone. That makes it a bill of attainder. As far as cities controling liquor. In some states they will allow the locality the option of enacting prohibition (dry county). But if you do not enact prohibition. The liquor sales usually come under a state board. This is like the California liquor board telling the poor people of Compton they can't have a liquor store within 1,000 feet of a school. But the rich people of Beverly Hills can have a liquor store IN their schools if they want to. It's a bill of attainder in that it's being applied only to a specific class of people as opposed to a specific person. Like Terry's Law. Also a Bill of attainder. It only protected Terry Schivo. The constitution demands Equal Protection of Law. This law doesn't provide this. I think the obeasity in poor area is not so much from too much fast food. It's from not having access to liposuction. If you outlawed Liposuction in Beverly Hills. They would ballon up.

[MonkeyFunk]

43. Sorry, no, that's not a bill of attainder

and areas ARE targeted all the time. Zoning laws aren't state-wide.

The fact that a law doesn't affect everybody doesn't make it a Bill of Attainder.

[NightWatcher]

6. 3$ wont get you shit at Fresh Market's organic section, but will fill your belly at McD's

let them eat tofu

[EFerrari]

9. The tofu I buy is $1.50 and enough for two meals.

But, I hear you. I guess it's easier to shut something down than to find a way to encourage healthy food retailing -- something I'm trying to figure out in my city.

[ColbertWatcher]

23. They're not shutting them down.

They're saying stop opening more in an area that already has too many.

Why can't the city planners encourage different businesses to open up and provide jobs?

One that could boost the neighborhoods?

[EFerrari]

30. Probably because the permit process is corrupt.

In order to get all your clearances, you have to know what to grease and when. And, that's the truth. Chains already have relationships with the right palms.

[ColbertWatcher]

31. True, but Starbucks has proven what can happen when you open too many...

...stores in a small area.

Sure, there are jobs, but eventually some of those stores will be shut down.

[EFerrari]

33. I worked in commercial real estate for a while and what these retailers do

is open two or three stores in an area to see what will stick and then they pack up the other two. Retailing is a high risk venture, anyway. A lot of the properties that I helped to lease didn't take their signs down when the deal closed because the expectation was that the property would be on the market again shortly.

Chains can work (or, could work) with that kind of a model where independents can't.

[ColbertWatcher]

34. That sounds great for the businesses, but...

...not so good for the community.

[Initech]

7. Damn! No more stopping at Popeyes after Forum concerts.

It's the only thing open that late at night.

[Iggo]

13. Definitely after.

I spent half the Maiden concert in the shitter.

[Initech]

19. That is not a good place to spend a Maiden concert I must say.

[petronius]

17. There's a Popeyes in LA!? I thought they were only in the South

That's the best news I've heard today - I've been dieing for some Popeyes since we left the other LA...

[Initech]

20. Yeah, there's one in Hollywood.

I'm not sure if the one in Inglewood is or not.

[Love Bug]

8. How....patronizing of them

People eat what they can afford and is available. I'm sure most of the folks in this affected area would much rather eat higher quality food that's good for them.

[slackmaster]

11. I think there are plenty of fast-food places in LA now

This would be a moratorium on opening new ones.

But that aside, I am against government imposing this kind of restriction on businesses.

[Jacobin]

12. No el pollo loco?

Its fast food. And its really good. And healthy.

[Iggo]

14. "Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods"

Not quite. Our communities have a shortage of inexpensive high calorie quality foods for poor people.

[Scout]

16. banning fast food isn't the answer....

putting in grocery stores in the neighborhood, that have REAL food at affordable prices is the answer. I guess that's just too hard though.

:puke:

[SoCalDem]

18. How patronizingly idiotic.. Why not ALL Places..not just poor areas..

OR, why not attack & change the REASON there are so many "poor areas"..

It's about COST... Fast food places have "bargain menus", with 79cent & 99cent items... a "poor person" can feed their family on $5 at a place like that.. No matter how many "healthy food" options there are, if the food's unaffordable, it's not an option for "poor people".. 5 oranges (@ $1 ea), or 5 burritos for the family..

[Codeine]

22. Banning fast food won't

bring quality restaurants and stores into those communities. Grocers avoid those places because they get robbed and ripped off too much, and nicer restaurants are out of the price range that lower income folks can support.

Fuck the stick, try the carrot; tax breaks for healthy food, interest-free loans, start-up money, etc.

It's not as if there are a bunch of healthy food joints just lined up waiting for McD's to bug out so they can swoop in and grab the market.

[ColbertWatcher]

26. Exactly.

But, don't forget there are way too many in the area already. If more are opened, will that cause older ones to close?

[NeedleCast]

24. One more small step towards lunacy

[Lyric]

25. I hope they'll be replacing them with grocery stores.

Because taking away the only reliable sources of jobs and cheap food in a lot of poor neighborhoods where people don't have cars to drive to the Super Wal-Mart ten miles away is pretty fucking heartless, not to mention stupid.

[Codeine]

29. Grocery stores avoid those areas.

I've worked in retail grocery my whole life and low-income areas are terrible locations; shoplifting and robbery are endemic and make operating on the low-margin grocery model impossible.

[depakid]

36. That's part of the plan

The yearlong moratorium is intended to give the city time to attract restaurants that serve healthier food. The action, which the mayor must still sign into law, is believed to be the first of its kind by a major city to protect public health.

"Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods," City Councilman Bernard Parks said.

"They should open more healthy places," Dorothy Meighan said outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. "There's too much fried stuff."

Councilwoman Jan Perry said that view repeatedly surfaced at the five community meetings she held during the past two years. Residents are tired of fast food, and many don't have cars to drive to places with other choices, she said.

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/10/local/me-fastfood10

[Irreverend IX]

28. LA to Vote on Rap Music Ban in Low Income Areas

LOS ANGELES - In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, hip-hop is the easiest music to find — and that's a problem for elected officials who see it as an unhealthy inspiration for drug traffic and gang violence.

The City Council was poised to vote Tuesday on a moratorium on hip-hop music in a swath of the city where such music is often heard in bars and restaurants.

"Our communities have an extreme saturation of this vulgar form of entertainment," City Councilman Bernard Parks said.

The aim of the yearlong moratorium, which was approved last week in committee, is to give local residents a chance to develop interest in rockabilly, chamber music, trance and other forms of music less associated with crime.

-snip-

The proposed ban comes at a time when governments of all levels are increasingly viewing music as a matter of public health. Last Friday, California became the first state in the nation to probibit the sale of "explicit lyrics" records to children under age 15.

It also comes as the Los Angeles City Council tackles issues beyond safety, schools and streets. The council last week decided to outlaw plastic bags.

Hip-hop clubs have found themselves in the frying pan in a number of cities. Some places have barred "gangster rap" altogether; others have prohibited songs by a "black list" of artists.

[depakid]

35. It's not a "ban" it's a land use restriction against even more fast food outlets

in an area they're already prolific to the exclusion of grocery stores and outlets offering healthy food choices. And it only lasts a year!

Of course, that fact won't make any difference to the the knee jerk libertarians....

[robcon]

37. Everyone can choose to eat whatever they want....

except people in 'impoverished neighborhoods.'

This is a sick proposition.

[dembotoz]

38. if south la is like milwaukee-what is needed is investment and jobs.

Reminds me of the old welfare stories in wisconsin.
In some parts of the state, the poor were given commodities instead of cash or food stamps.
Apparently one of the staples was bulgar which can be wonderful if you know how to cook it and have the facilities to cook and your kids will eat it.....

sounds like another well meaning stupid idea

[Wizard777]

40. Why don't they require plastic surgeons to do pro bono liposuction on people in poor areas?

That way the poor people can get thin the same way the rich people do. Nevermind a diet. You just have a doctor suck the fat out.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. If the people of LA want to help low income areas...

why don't they, say, raise minimum wage?

[Snarkturian Clone]

44. Yes,

... and offer more city jobs
... and do street cleaning/tree planting/beautification like they do in the wealthy parts of the city (which are city jobs!)
... and build community centers/employment training/gyms
... and create neighborhood civic associations


but no, LA and a bunch of DUers think that the availablity of vegan rice pudding is the answer.

[RadiationTherapy]

42. Yes. Please regulate. The 'free market' is bullshit.; give others a chance. nt