Proponent Jena Troutman told the Jewish Journal that she's abandoning her effort after it came under fire from several Jewish groups.
She says her reasons for pushing the ban were not intended as an attack on religious freedom.
"It shouldn't be about religion in the first place," Troutman, a lactation consultant, told The Jewish Journal. "Ninety-five percent of people aren't doing it for religious reasons and with everyone from The New York Times to Glenn Beck focusing on the religious issue, it's closing Americans down to the conversation."
Before it was known that Troutman was dropping her effort, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee issued a statement expressing "great concern" about the possible ballot measure.
"For many, male circumcision is a religious decision that is squarely within the legal right of parents to make for their infant sons," the statement said. "For thousands of years, Jews around the world have engaged in this important religious ritual. The covenant of circumcision is fundamental to the practice of Judaism.
A similar measure is set to go before San Francisco voters in November.
City News Service contributed to this report.
