LA City Council Approves Ban On Fur Sales

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles City Council tentatively passed an ordinance Tuesday that bans the sale and manufacturing of fur within city limits.

The ordinance, proposed by council members Bob Blumenfield and Paul Koretz, was approved by a 13-1 margin, with only council member Greig Smith voting against it. The ordinance bans the sale of products that use fur — such as handbags, shoes, hats, earmuffs and jewelry – within city limits.

L.A. now becomes the largest city in the U.S. with such a ban.

Because the vote was not unanimous, a second vote will be required. Mayor Eric Garcetti will also have to sign the ordinance to make it official.

Last September, the city council voted unanimously to direct the L.A. city attorney's office to draft an ordinance outlining the ban. The ordinance will take effect  in just under two years, allowing for a phase-in period. The L.A. ban will start on Jan. 1, 2021.

San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood are among the California cities which already have fur bans in place. West Hollywood was the first city in the nation to institute a fur ban back in 2013.

"There is no necessity to wear fur," Blumenfield said at a news conference outside City Hall in September alongside dozens of fur activists.

The ordinance includes some exemptions, including:

-- Furs of animals trapped by California Fish and Game license holders.
-- The pelt of a deceased animal that is preserved through taxidermy or for the purpose of taxidermy.
-- The gift or transfer of a used fur product between private parties.
-- A used fur product bought, sold, donated or owned by a person not in the primary business of selling fur or a fur product, including a nonprofit organization, second- hand store, or pawn shop.
-- The manufacture of a fur product using fur sourced exclusively from a used fur product.
-- A fur or fur product that is only being transported through the city.

It was not clear what economic impact the ban will have on the city. A report from the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst said the city does not keep track of fur sales specifically.

Last March, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban the sale and manufacturing of fur. The ban took effect Jan. 1 but allows furriers and other retailers to sell current inventory until Jan. 1, 2020.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)