LOS ANGELES (AP) - 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.
The California Restaurant Association says the moratorium, which could be
extended up to two years, is misguided.
Fast food "is the only industry that wants to be in South LA," said
association spokesman Andrew Casana. "Sit-down restaurants don't want to go in.
If they did, they'd be there. This moratorium isn't going to help them
relocate."
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.
Most initiatives were designed to preserve a city's historic character. The
Los Angeles bid is one of few that cite residents' health.
The mounting pressure has caused chains to insert healthier food choices in
their menus. McDonalds offers salads and low-fat dressings; Burger King stocks
Kids Meals with milk and apple pieces.
That's why the restaurant industry says it's unfair to blame them for fat
people.
"What's next -- security guards at the door saying 'You're overweight, you
can't have a cheeseburger'?" Casana said.
But public health officials say obesity has reached epidemic proportions in
low-income areas such as South Los Angeles and diet is the key reason.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 30 percent
of adults in South Los Angeles area are obese, compared to 19.1 percent for the
metropolitan area and 14.1 percent for the affluent westside. Minorities are
particularly affected: 28.7 percent of Latinos and 27.7 percent of blacks are
obese, compared to 16.6 percent of whites.
Perry says that's no accident. South LA residents lack healthy food options,
including grocery stores, fresh produce markets -- and full-service restaurants
with wait staff and food prepared to order.
A report by the Community Health Councils found 73 percent of South L.A.
restaurants were fast food, compared to 42 percent in West Los Angeles.
If the moratorium is passed, Perry wants to lure restaurateurs and grocery
retailers to area.
Rebeca Torres, a South Los Angeles mother of four, said she would welcome
more dining choices, even if she had to pay a little more. "They should have
better things for children," she said. "This fast-food really fattens them up."
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