Politics & Government

Group Aims to Take Back Control of City's Health

McDonald's has inspired a group of residents, health professionals and city staff look at ways to bring healthy eateries into the city.

On recent Monday, in a small conference room inside the civic center, a group of Loma Linda staffers and local health professionals brainstormed on ways to make the city a model of healthy living.

They tossed around the idea of creating health rankings, similar to health codes, for restaurants that city officials could promote in written materials. They talked about offering incentives to eateries to provide healthy meals. They also looked at zoning laws that would set limits on where fast food establishments could be located.

The meeting, held Feb. 13, was the third between staff and the recently formed Healthy Loma Linda Coalition. The group has plans to continue to meet Mondays to strategize on how to bring healthy restaurants into the city.

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“They want what’s best for the city,” said Konrad Bolowich, the city’s director of community development. “They have legitimate issues and concerns about the city.”

The coalition was bourn out of the effort to keep a proposed McDonald’s out of the Loma Linda, one of the only Blue Zones in North America. Terra Linda Commercial LLC plans to build a business center on a 7.7-acre parcel in the area of Barton Road and Mountain View Avenue. The property is to be subdivided into seven plots. The McDonald’s - with a drive-thru – has agreed could be a tenant.

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The commercial center project was approved in December.

Health professionals are upset because they say McDonald’s food is fattening and has poor nutritional value. The chain is also still shadowed by Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which was quoted by protestors who addressed the council on several occasions.

The issue has received a great deal of national attention in part because Loma Linda has a large Seventh-day Adventist community. Many members of the faith are vegetarians.

“It’s a much broader issue than just McDonald’s,” said coalition member Dr. Juan Carlos Belliard, associate professor of global health at Loma Linda University School of Public Health. "It’s about how can communities play a role in designing their cities and their communities. How do they design them and not just leave it up to random businesses coming in?”

The talks have helped coalition members understand the challenges of bringing in restaurants such as Panera and Souplantation. The city simply does not have the demographics some businesses are looking for, city officials said.

This has inspired the coalition to ask how they can help, Belliard said. They are now moving to have professionals, community members and planners team to promote the city and attract business that matches the city's brand, Belliard said.

“What we’re telling our city leaders is that we can be educated in some of the political processes that are needed and in codes and city ordinances,” Belliard said. “And we can bring in some of our own expertise in public health and health promotion. And I think it’s a win-win if you bring together those two resources.”


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