EDITORIAL POLITICAL POSTURING L.A. OFFICIALS IGNORE REAL PROBLEMS, GO AFTER TRANS FATS.

FOR most, it's a no-brainer that public safety should be the government's top job, while eating veggies ought to be a matter of personal choice. But not in L.A.

The Trans Fat Ban That Wasn't is a case in point.

It was goofy enough for county and city leaders to jump on the anti-trans fat bandwagon, considering that the public's health-consciousness has already prompted food manufacturers and fast-food restaurants to start using alternatives.

But it turns out that neither the city nor the county has the authority to ban trans fats anyway. That's a job for the state, and even as you read this, legislators are working on bills to ban hydrogenated oils.

All of which should have caused L.A. leaders to let this issue pass them by with nothing more than a resolution so that they could tackle real problems, ones they can actually do something about -- like traffic congestion, gang crime, and a lack of planning.

But instead of doing the wise thing, they went for the one that might get them some TV coverage. And all they could come up with is a voluntary compliance program for restaurants that might involve a window decal.

What could be more pointless?

Stopping the use of trans fats is already voluntary, and restaurants can put up ``no trans fat'' decals on their own. In fact, some restaurants already are advertising that they are, indeed, trans fat free.

The trans-fat issue is a classic case of politicians jumping on a trend with a symbolic action, wasting the time, money and political capital that could be better spent elsewhere. But then, it's a lot easier to politically posture than to get to work solving the people's problems.