by Chris Bodenner
The city of Los Angeles just banned the construction of fast-food restaurants in low-income areas. (Perhaps gov't officials saw the study Patrick linked to yesterday.) Ezra writes:
The policy actually sounds stranger than it is: Cities frequently bar the construction of new bars, nightclubs, music joints, and so forth. Zoning based on lifestyle concerns is fairly common. But it's rare -- and possibly unheard of -- to discriminate against a certain kind of restaurant based on health concerns. The fast food industry, for their part, makes a fair point. They're not keeping anyone out. "Sit-down restaurants don't want to go in," said their spokesperson. "If they did, they'd be there. This moratorium isn't going to help them relocate." But possibly the city can offer incentives that will change the calculus a bit. We'll see.