Fast-food restaurants may become a thing of the past in Los Angeles if Jan Perry, a Los Angeles city-council member, has anything to say about it. Perry is spearheading legislation that would ban new fast-food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC from opening in a 32-square-mile chunk of the city, including her district.

The area is home to 400 fast-food restaurants. Perry feels that the restaurants are contributing to high obesity rates there -- 30% of adults, compared with about 21% in the rest of the city. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 25.6% of adults are obese in the U.S.

Many local governments are trying to help fight obesity. Earlier this year in New York City, a law requiring fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts on the main menu above the counter was implemented (see Healia’s blog titled: New York City Fast Food Chains Required to Post Calorie Information on Menus). New York City officials stated that the new menu information will help prevent obesity and diabetes.