In a historic vote on Tuesday city council members in West Hollywood passed a law which bans the sale of fur-based clothing apparel within city limits.
In the previous two meetings regarding the issue (May 16 and Sept. 19) city council members voted unanimously for the bill to pass however when it came up for a final vote the bill passed with just three of five votes. The ban would have passed in September but several details were missing from the ordinance which forced a “second first reading.”
Two council members changed their vote after the West Hollywood-based Fur Information Council of America (FICA) released an economic impact study that showed 46 percent of clothing businesses in the city sold fur based products.
Councilman John Heilman said his vote was changed for fear of alienating local business owners while inviting costly lawsuits while he added:
“If the goal is to end animal cruelty, we need to get the businesses and the community on board.”
The bill only currently affects clothing apparel sales which leaves furniture made with fur open for sale.
Abstaining from a vote was Councilwamn Abbe Land who said while she was against the sale of fur she did not believe that the ordinance currently being offered was the right approach since business owners were not on board.
What do you think of the city council’s decision to ban fur sales in the area?
[Image via ShutterStock.com ]
