Banning the breed is easier because it makes people feel safe. Granted, it's an extremely false sense of safety since the bad owners are still living around them and now have another breed that they are ruining. It's cheaper to blame the dog and kill it than it is to lock up the owner and prosecute him. The public doesn't realize how expensive banning the breed actually is and the politicians don't care because they now feel they look good for handling 'the problem.'
How are you going to ban the breeders? The problem breeders, the backyard breeders, the blue breeders - they don't even register their dogs. The only people that will be penalized are the good, responsible breeders because they register their dogs and do everything by the book. It takes money and resources to put an end to backyard breeding. Mandatory spay/neuter laws don't help. You would literally have to go door to door. Well, not even door to door. Just peer over every fence because they keep the mom and litter in the backyard. But, again, in city like Los Angeles, that would take more money and manpower than we have. Education is great. Holding free shot fairs to draw people in then get them signed up for free spay/neuter. Use the fairs to educate the public. Public education and awareness are great, but there also isn't enough funding and man power for that either.
I'm with you on not banning the breed. I'd rather see stiffer dangerous dog laws that don't specify the breed and heavily penalize the dog owner. If your dog gets out of your backyard and bites someone, not only do you lose the dog, you get a huge fine. Depending on your background, you might not even get to own a dog again. If you can't keep it inside the house with your family, properly socialize and train it, you don't deserve to have it. It shouldn't be a right, it should be a privelege.