City councils love to ban things. Often, they believe they can end nuisances (such as litter or loud noises) with enough bans. Other times, local mandarins ban in order to signal their virtue or vitriol.
These days, politicians measure the magnitude of their love by the breadth of what they ban.
As of 2022, ordinary single-use “to-go” boxes are illegal in Santa Rosa, California. Plenty of other bans went into effect this year, and plenty more bans have already passed.
In 2022 so far, Cleveland has
banned
the release of 10 or more balloons, and the city council of Madison, Wisconsin,
voted
unanimously to ban the declawing of cats.
Los Angeles has taken up a
ban
on oil and gas wells, while New York City in December voted to ban, in all new construction, natural gas for cooking, hot water, or heating.
These are typical Democratic ploys — messing with industry or people’s lives in the name of making a gesture toward environmental friendliness. But the 2022 ban boom doesn’t end there.
Portland, Maine, has
banned
menthol cigarettes and all flavored tobacco products, following the footsteps of Bangor, Maine. Across the country, East Bay, California, also
voted
in January to ban menthols.
West Lafayette, Indiana, in February voted to condemn “conversion therapy,” and plenty of cities have voted to ban it. “Conversion therapy” is an ever-shifting idea that in different places, at different times, can mean anything from trying to make a gay person straight to discouraging teenagers from having gay sex. Independence, Kansas, also passed a “conversion therapy” ban.
Oakland, California, in January
banned
“ghost guns,” a name for homemade, 3D-printed guns that tend to be much harder for police to trace.
Sonoma County, California, in January 2022 went back in time to March 2020 and banned outdoor gatherings greater than 100 people and indoor gatherings more than 50 people.
The most incredible local bans are the liberal cities banning city travel to or commerce with conservative states. Portland, Oregon, in late 2021
banned
services and goods coming from Texas.
The city council barred the local government from buying anything from Texas or traveling there, saying that Texas’s abortion law would “force people to carry pregnancies against their will.”
How long until a city council shows its supreme openness by banning everyone who disagrees?
