Los Angeles becomes largest US city to ban fur sales

Los Angeles is now the largest city in the United States to ban the manufacture and sale of animal fur products. 

The Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance on a 13-1 vote on Tuesday to ban the sale and manufacturing of all products that include fur, including clothing, handbags, accessories and jewelry, from within city limits, CBS Los Angeles reported.

West Hollywood became the first city in the nation to implement a fur ban in 2013; several other California cities have since followed suit, the outlet noted.

San Francisco became the largest city in the U.S. to institute the ban in March 2018.{mosads}

Since the vote was not unanimous, a second vote will be required, the outlet reported. Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) will have to sign it in to law before the ban would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

“This arcane and inhumane practice must end and today; we said, loud and clear, fur will not have a future in Los Angeles,” council member Bob Blumenfield said in a statement. “I am proud that our city made a giant step in ending the unnecessary killing of animals, but we must continue toward finally eliminating this vile market.”

Council member Greig Smith, the measure’s sole opponent, said he did not support the ban because he thought it was “not American” to implement a ban that would affect business owners.

“I’m really concerned about asking people who have run legitimate businesses for a long time, paid their taxes and done what is asked of them, to just suddenly stop doing business. That’s not American,” Smith said at the committee meeting, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. “And it’s not the way I think we should act as a government.”

The outlet noted that it is unclear what economic impact the ban will have on the major fashion hub because the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst does not track fur sales.

Retail fur made up $35.8 billion of global sales in 2014,  The Hollywood Reporter noted.

Many major fashion designers, however, have already stopped designing with furs. Versace, Gucci, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Jimmy Choo all prohibit the use of fur in their lines, THR noted.

The Los Angeles ban would include some exemptions, CBS Los Angeles reported. Such exemptions include fur being gifted between two private parties or fur from animals trapped by California Fish and Game license holders.