Los Angeles to become biggest U.S. city to ban fur sales in ’21

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles will become the biggest city in the country to ban the sale of animal fur under a new law backed Tuesday by the City Council.

The ordinance, which will go into effect in 2021, makes it illegal to sell, manufacture or trade furs or fur clothing and accessories such as coats, handbags and key chains in L.A. city limits.

The ban includes a number of exemptions: Used furs can still be sold at secondhand shops. People can still sell or trade the pelts of dead animals preserved through taxidermy. And the city will not prohibit fur produced from animals taken lawfully under a trapping license.

Animal rights activists hailed the decision, denouncing the fur business as barbaric and unnecessary.

“Animals are not fabric — they are sentient beings who suffer terribly,” said Patty Shenker, a member of Animal Defenders International. “And we must include them in our moral compass.”

Fur sellers and manufacturers, in turn, said their industry was being unfairly singled out and smeared, and warned that legal action could be next.

Because the Tuesday vote was not unanimous, the proposed law will come back to the council for a second, procedural vote before going to Mayor Eric Garcetti for his signature. The sole councilman to oppose the law was Greig Smith, who was recently appointed to fill the seat vacated by Councilman Mitchell Englander.

At a committee meeting last week, Smith said he was concerned about shutting down “legitimate businesses,” calling it “not American,” and noted that the city had not estimated the economic impact. His spokesman, Colin Sweeney, later said that Smith “thinks controlling the industry with regulations to minimize harm ... is preferable to a ban.”

Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who championed the ban, called the fur industry “egregious in its cruelty” and said that although he believes the ban will not hurt the L.A. fashion industry, no economic analysis would have changed their decision on a “philosophical issue.”

“End this outdated and deplorable practice,” Blumenfield urged the rest of the council before the vote. “The time is long overdue.”

Activists say the L.A. ban is important not only for its geographic reach, but to encourage more cities and possibly the state to follow.

Opponents argued that the city was kowtowing to animal rights extremists and depriving consumers of the freedom to decide for themselves.

Last year, a Gallup poll found that 60 percent of respondents deemed it “morally acceptable” to buy and wear clothing made of animal fur.