Los Angeles City Council approves drafting ordinance to ban fur sales

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to approve drafting an ordinance to ban fur sales in the city.

The decision puts L.A. on track to become the largest city to ban fur.

The proposal now heads to Mayor Eric Garcetti for final approval. With his stamp of approval, there would be a two-year phase-in period.

Tuesday's vote directs the city attorney to draft a law prohibiting the manufacture or sale of fur products in the city. The ban would cover apparel made in whole or in part of fur - including clothing, handbags, shoes, hats, earmuffs, jewelry and keychains. Only used fur products could be sold.

Councilmen Bob Blumenfield and Paul Koretz submitted the motion.

Outside of City Hall, celebrities, activists and politicians protested to stop the sale of fur in the city.

West Hollywood, Berkeley and San Francisco already have fur bans, although their ordinances differ in some specifics. West Hollywood's law was changed to exempt fur from animals that are legally trapped under state law.

"Trapping is done for wildlife management. We see the impacts here with coyote for example. If you don't control populations, you begin to have problems," said Keith Kaplan, spokesman for the Fur Information Council of America, a trade group for manufacturers and fur merchants.

Activists condemn the fur industry as inhumane, contending that the animals are subject to brutal conditions and meet torturous deaths.

Kaplan denied the accusations and said the City Council motion is being put forward on the basis of "lies and false studies."

"It's about animal use. It's about does a very small minority have the right to determine for the majority what we choose to wear, to eat, to buy? The campaigns against leather, the campaigns against wool, the campaigns against meat, are already underway," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.