LOS ANGELES In what may be a prod to make California the first state to mandate menu labeling, the Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to draft its own requirement that chain restaurants disclose nutrition information on menus and menu boards.
The council voted unanimously to craft a local mandate following a recent vote by Los Angeles County to draft similar legislation. In addition, members of the 14-member council said they would halt their push for local legislation if a labeling requirement already passed by the California Legislature is signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. That measure expressly pre-empts any county or local disclosure requirements.
Some council members said they hoped to send a message to the governor that one of the state’s most restaurant-dense cities is prepared to act if he doesn’t.
The state measure, SB 1420, also is favored by the California Restaurant Association, which has said it would prefer one statewide requirement to a patchwork of local regulations. It describes the legislation as a compromise measure.
The law to be drafted by the Los Angeles City Council would require units of chains with at least 15 branches to post nutrition information on menus and menu boards.
The state measure originally was written to apply to outlets of chains with at least 15 stores statewide, but that threshold was raised to 20 stores at the request of the CRA.
SB 1420 would take effect next July. But until January 2011, qualifying chain restaurants would have two ways of complying. The places could either post calorie counts on their menus or menu boards for all standard items, or provide more detailed nutrition information in brochures available to customers at the point of sale.
As of 2011, calorie information would have to be posted on menus and menu boards.
Schwarzenegger has said he would not sign any pending legislation until California’s lawmakers hammer out a state budget. If the menu-labeling bill is not signed by the governor by Sept. 30, the law would be nullified.
The first draft of the proposed Los Angeles mandate is expected to come before the City Council for a vote in early October, and, if approved, could be implemented as early as November.
The Los Angeles County legislation would apply to chain restaurants in unincorporated areas of the jurisdiction.
Labeling requirements also have been passed in San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.