LA Bans New Fast Food Outlets In Poor Areas

A law that would bar new fast-food restaurants from opening in South Los Angeles for at least a year sailed through the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday.

The council approved the fast-food moratorium unanimously, despite complaints from representatives of McDonald's, Carl's Jr. and other companies, who said they were being unfairly targeted.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Vanalope]

Welcome to the city of San Angeles, Be Well.

[Ramirez]

I suspect there are members of the City Council with investments in "healthier" restaurants in the area.

[cdnnewsjunky]

Keep an eye out for the new crime wave, illegal Big Mac's.

[ceasenake]

It's just as well - they would just get robbed anyway.

[1rewd1]

Why don't we just get right down to it and ban fat people?

[GrayOwl]

Let me try to understand this absurdity: The reason major fast-food chains want to open outlets in a specific area is because sophisticated marketing studies show the people want the product. If the people want the product, what right do I have, or does anyone have, to deny them access to it? Answer: No right at all. This is highly insulting to people in lower-income areas. Some self-appointed guardian thinks he/she knows what's best for these folks and decides to order it, regardless of what they want. Anyone know of a free country?

[Veri]

Well, that does it. Mass starvation. There went the only affordable food-like substance in the neighborhood.

[Rockwell]

What's the point of the ban? To encourage Mom and Pop resturants? Is it for health reasons? Why pick on a poor neighborhood? Are they denying Beverly HIlls access to certain resturants that they don't approve of?

Seems like Daddy-Knows-Best government and it's a little irritating. I'd like to hear some comments from LA residents.

[Veri]

Hey, stop picking on the rich! They just want the poor people out so they can build bigger mansions at lower tax rates! Damnit! America is only for those that can afford it. There goes the neigborhood. We need to ship poor people to Honduras or somewhere else.

Of course, the above is pure bullsh*t. However, a valid point in the mind of the wealthy. You can take any man or woman, give them ten million dollars (inflation, baby), and they thumb their noses at you. Greed. Selfishness. It does not matter the nationality, color, or creed of the person.

Sitting on a bus one day on MLK Blvd in Vegas as the only whitey on board, all back of the bus and crap, I listened to this guy spew crap about how the white man was keeping him down. I pointed out the above and told him, "This is why we do not have anything. Thinking like yours only serves to divide and conquer us. I am in the same boat you are."

The guy got a funny look on his face and replied, "I've never thought about it that way." Most people don't. Most are only concerned about themselves and the propaganda that reinforces preconceived notions. This is a problem.

[DRaymond]

Ideally it would open an opportunity for mom-and-pop sandwich shops or whatever, but I doubt it.

I think it would make sense in the longer run to pass a citywide ordinance to say that a single chain cannot open a store within a mile and a half of an existing store. That would open up space for diversity of choices. And yes, I would apply that to Starbucks too!

[RightWingMarine]

If I own a chain of resturants and I purchase the land why should I not be permitted to build my resturant on my land? If my two resturants can turn a profit and keep me in business and my employees employed, who am I hurting?

[1jadednewyorker]

This is ofcourse not a panacea (sp) but it is a start. Ever went into a Walmart in the suburbs and then go to a Walmart in the urban areas? Same store yet the suburban stores offer fressh fruit and food.
Why? And no body is going to tell me that folks in urban areas dont eat fresh food and fruit.

Even when I lived in the innercity I did not shop there or eat there. The people in these communities have to take their neihborhoods back from the Karls McD's et al and perhaps start their own collective.

This is America afterall and we all have acess pretty much to the same information. Noone beileve a fast food regimen is good for you. Perhaps choosing to eat there is just sheer laziness.

[Veri]

Panacea? Please. Corporations have no responsibility to the general welfare of the population other than to deliver relatively safe products. Other than that, pfffffttttt.......

Where people shop and what they buy is up to them. Even if it ultimately leads to their own demise. Convenience kills.

[adamsmith]

More government regulation, that's what this country needs, more government. Vote for Fauxbama, so he can tell us how far we can drive, temperature at home, how much of our earnings we get to keep. Yeah, I'm really going to vote for the Marxist Messiah................

[Veri]

Most high ranking Republicans are Federalists. Meaning, the government has ultimate control over everything, trumping state's rights, etc.... A side effect of this is bigger government combined with inevitable human selfishness and greed.

So, while the Republicans mouth "smaller government, less regulations", they have presided over some of the largest increases in history of the world.

Regulations are needed to protect each other from the excesses of others. A handful of corporations are responsible for practically bringing down the world financial system. This is why we need it. Unfortunately, our current leadership has too many fingers in too many pies that provide too much money. This enriches them and their friends while impoverishing entire nations.

And how do they do it? By writing bad regulations, leaving loopholes, etc. We do not have leaders anymore. We have pirates and raiders.

[RightWingMarine]

At long last Mommy government can help me plan my meals. We need to have a national dinner czar to take care of the last of my dining decisions.

How will prohibiting the creation of new fast food joints bring in new resturants with healthier food? Are health food stores currently prohibited from opening shop in this area? Is McDonalds and Carl's Jr. using mob like tatics and firebombing the whole foods stores when they try to open in this area? Are the people not capable of making their own decisions? What governmental bureaucrat has ever cared about you or your welfare?

[Veri]

For the love of God, I hope you are being cynical with that opening. What is happening is ridiculous. Kind of like how ridiculous Republican stewardship of Our Nation has been. This is why I despise the extreme left and the extreme right.

People need to get up off their asses and do something about what is happening to our nation. Voting Democrat or Republican will not help in the long run.

However, are the fast joints trying to get sweetheart deals on their land taxes and exemptions? Someone in the know about this want to enlighten us? After all, Wal-Mart is known for skipping out on taxes that pay for schools, hospitals, etc... while shipping boatloads of American dollars to China to pay for the cheap crap we buy from them.

So, RightWingMarine, are you American or have you pigeonholed yourself into a stereotypical mindset?

[trinity]

The fast food/obesity epidemic is really everywhere, not just poor areas. I teach, and I see what parents are packing in their children's lunches, not a piece of fruit or vegetable in sight...doesn't matter if the child is poor or middle class. Poorer children tend to get free school lunch, and again like the paid lunch students, choose not to take the vegetable or fruits. Nutrition starts in the home.

There is a big problem with access to healthy foods in poor neighborhoods. I don't think Chicago still has a major grocery chain in any of their poor neighborhoods on the south and west sides. All the other neighborhoods have the Jewels and Dominick's along with Whole Foods. Gary, IN also has no major grocery store within the actual city limits. One store tried, but lasted only a month. Convenient stores have limited pickings. Those who venture out, are restricted by funds. Healthy food is far more expensive than junk. The mother with the food stamps will most like buy the gallon of flavored sugar water dyed orange than a gallon of actual orange juice.

Simply banning new fast food joints is not going to solve anything.

[Veri]

Point about parents not being in the home. In 1970, it took one wage earner per family to provide for said family. In 2008, both parents have to work. Oftentimes, two or three jobs are necessary just to afford the cheap food at McDonalds.

Life is fast. Maybe we need to slow down.

[yappnmutt]

it would probably be more effective to control eating behavior if la banned husky size clothing forever.

[Zeje]

Best idea!

[Veri]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO! No more BUF's. You know, big people, tight pants, belly spilling over? And have you noticed the propaganda in the media? Fat is beautiful? I understand if your metabolism is naturally trends towards overweight. But one in three on the obese or overweight here in America?

I lost 55 pounds by walking around Europe with twenty kilograms on my back for about six months. The rest of the time, I ate salads with vegetables that actually had taste instead of a mushy feel and no taste. I loved salads in Europe. Though stick with Eastern European veggies. Western European veggies suck in taste almost has bad as American GM veggies. The Bulgarians are upset because all of their tomatoes go West while importing crap tomatoes from The West.

I really did not change my diet that much. More fruits and veggies that actually had taste. Six months in America and my system still has not adjusted to the chemical food-like substances here.

[WorkingClass]

I think its great that this ban only applies to poor neighborhoods. Rich people are intelligent and can be trusted to eat things the government wants them to eat. But poor people are stupid and need the government to force them to do the right thing.

[Veri]

Rich people can afford to donate to their local coucilman. Poor people just vote them in.

[LeonBNJ]

I think this also may encourage small business resturants, perhaps owned by people in the neighborhood instead of chains owned or franschise locations owned by large corporations from outside the community. Also, the remaining fast fooders will have less competition from each others newer outlets.