Gothamist reports that New York City announced over the weekend that it will soon begin requiring restaurants to display Los Angeles-style health inspection letter grades. Now today, D.C. Council member Mary Cheh sent out a press release announcing her intention to introduce similar legislation here in the District.

“D.C. should get up to speed and join major cities around the nation that grade restaurants for food safety,” said Cheh. “Making restaurants post their health grade will give residents the tools they need to make an informed choice about the safety of the food they consume. Moreover, this bill will create an environment where restaurateurs are publicly encouraged to keep their kitchens clean.”

Cheh intends to introduce the bill on Tuesday. The move comes about seven months after the release of a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest that scolded the District for making it far too difficult for consumers to get restaurant health and safety inspection reports.

City Desk also notes Cheh’s announcement, and sees the pushback from restaurant owners coming down the bend. Based on my experience living in Los Angeles for about five years, I can tell you that these letter grades have swift consequences. Even establishments that end up with B’s in their windows notice a decline in customers. The key to making a program of this sort work for everyone is to make sure inspections occur regularly, so that a restaurant that makes all the necessary improvements can have their letter grade updated in a timely manner. If D.C. health inspectors get backlogged and a restaurant that’s worked to come into compliance ends up stuck with the existing grade in the window for a lengthy time, it could spell the end of that establishment.