Los Angeles Pushing Partial Fast Food Ban

The nanny state tactics hit South Central Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Council is proposing a one-year moratorium on new fast food chains in the area.

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.

For those who forget, this is the same area that was hardest hit by the Rodney King riots, and where more than a billion dollars in property damage was done. Now, the City Council is suggesting curbing economic opportunities in this area.

Fast food chains don't go where they don't think that money can be made. They obviously think that South Central Los Angeles is an underserved area and that they can make money there. Conditions have improved there and the economics are right.

Yet, the City Council thinks that they should determine how many fast food outlets should be allowed to open.

Never mind that many fast food restaurants provide healthy alternatives including salads and low calorie options. It remains personal choice as to what people eat.

Also ignored is the fact that many fast food joints are actually locally owned franchises - meaning that local businesses benefit and the local community benefits from entry job opportunities.

Once again, government thinks that the markets cannot take care of themselves. As Starbucks has found out, you can oversaturate markets and have to shutter stores. If too many fast food chains open up, some will inevitably close because they cannot compete. Other businesses will take their place.