9th District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jan Perry’s effort to restrict new fast-food restaurants in a large section of the city south of Downtown raises plenty of questions. Some may wonder how the government has the right to interfere with businesses that are perfectly legal. Others might question whether government should get so involved in the personal diets of everyday folks. Perry raises other points about using city laws to encourage the establishment of restaurants and stores that would offer more alternatives to fast food. Let the debate go on—we always have a court system to decide if government has overstepped its authority. The debate shouldn’t include some of the nasty personal comments that Perry says she has heard since she proposed the idea, though. It’s an idea, after all. Anyone is free to offer their own ideas in reply. Personal attacks and name-calling are not ideas—they’re just so much fast food for folks who don’t have any ideas of their own.
Local Hero - 11/13/2008
The U.S. Supreme Court decided many years ago that everyone has a right to legal representation. That’s where we got the f ... [ Full Story ]
Local Heroes - 11/07/2008
The Garment & Citizen hails all current and past members of the U.S. military who will be honored this Veterans Day ... [ Full Story ]
Local Heroes - 10/31/2008
Business is slow these days (see related story, left), but there’s always something causing a stir for these two hard-work ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 10/24/2008
Roberto Jordan knows how to finish a job. That’s what the native of Guatemala City, Guatemala, does every day at Jose Grad ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 10/17/2008
Walter Melton is a lot of things—Skid Row resident, everyday worker, blogger, former Ivy Leaguer, and not a bad tennis pla ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 10/10/2008
Felipe Alarcon finds a lot to like about his life. He likes people. He likes to work. He likes to ride his bicycle. No won ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 10/02/2008
Not everyone can expect extra work hours these days, with all the economic uncertainty in the air. But Sylvia Yanez can co ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 09/26/2008
Maria Mendez is happy to be working at the new Save A Lot grocery store in the Echo Park district northwest of Downtown. O ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 09/19/2008
Louise Capone is a senior recreation director for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, overseeing Pershing ... [ Full Story ]
Local Hero - 09/12/2008
Irantzu Pujadas is a new face on the staff of 14th District Los Angeles City Councilmember Jose Huizar, serving as his dep ... [ Full Story ]
The Los Angeles Garment & Citizen is the community newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods, including the Arts District, Chinatown, Echo Park, Little Tokyo, Pico-Union, Silver Lake and Westlake.The Garment & Citizen reaches more than 20,000 readers weekly, an audience that spans the demographic makeup of the city and serves as the leading edge of statewide and national trends.
