LA City Council Moves Forward With Ban On Fur

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to move forward in drafting an ordinance which would make L.A. the largest city in the nation to ban the sale and manufacturing of fur products.

The motion, proposed by council members Bob Blumenfield and Paul Koretz, would ban the sale of products that use fur -- such as handbags, shoes, hats, earmuffs and jewelry – within city limits.

The city council voted unanimously to direct the L.A. city attorney's office to draft an ordinance outlining the ban, which itself would then need to be approved by the council and signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The ordinance would take effect two years after being passed.

The council's Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee added an amendment to the motion that would direct the city attorney to take a look at potential exemptions, including furs of animals trapped by California Fish and Game license holders and fur items worn or used for religious purposes, such as fur hats worn by Hasidic Jews on a variety of religious occasions.

Blumenfield held a news conference ahead of the vote alongside dozens of anti-fur activists on the steps of City Hall.

"There is no necessity to wear fur," Blumenfield said.

"You can't sleep at night once you've seen it," actress Maggie Q added. "It's one of the most horrific things I've ever witnessed in my life. And I know that if any of you had it in front of you, you would make the right choice."

It was not clear what economic impact such a ban could 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. The motion would not prohibit the sale of used fur products.

"When Los Angeles speaks, the world listens, and it's now the largest and most notable city to tell the world that fur is dead," PETA said in a statement.

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.

"The symbolism of doing this is as important as the reality, and so if we give a phase-in period I think it will have the desired effect countrywide and worldwide, having L.A., one of the fashion and glamour capitals of the world ... eliminate the sales of furs," Koretz said.

In March, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to make the city the largest in the nation to ban the sale and manufacturing of fur. The ban takes effect Jan. 1 but allows furriers and other retailers to sell current inventory until Jan. 1, 2020.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)