You never have to drive more than a block for your Big Mac fix in Leimert Park. There are only one or two specialty stores that occupy more real estate in this area than Mickey D's. At least the salons and hair care stores are locally owned and providing a real living to the people who work there.

Now the City Council wants to disrupt the balance by introducing a motion to prohibit new fast food joints from opening on any major roadway in Leimert Park, West Adams, Watts and Jefferson Park.

The one-year moratorium would ban the unhealthy alternatives to Earle's Grill and World Wide Tacos. The council is studying the issue and will vote at a later time.

Let's count the McDonald's within 3 miles of my house on Sutro:
1. Arlington and King opened about a year ago.
2. Crenshaw and 43rd
3. Vermont and King
4. Crenshaw Plaza
5. La Brea and King
6. Slauson and Western
7. Slauson and Vermont
8. Crenshaw and Adams
9. California Science Center
10. Chevron at King and Figueroa
(the last two are probably 3.3 miles away - did I miss any?)

How many Trader Joe's, Von's, Applebee's, TGI Friday's, 99 cent Only, Panerra, and on and on are in the same area? What did the city do wrong?

Councilwoman Jan Perry made the motion, which in part reads: "In Los Angeles not only do we suffer from the increased waste which is generated from these establishments, but arguably the profuse over concentration of fast-food businesses in low-income areas, particularly along the Southeast Los Angeles commercial corridors, intensifies socio-economic problems in the neighborhoods, and creates serious public health problems through poor nutrition for children, magnets for juvenile delinquency, and a proportionally much higher cost for food."

Thanks to curbedla for the heads up and fastfoodmaps.com for the map.