California to Become First State to Ban New Fur Products

Fur products will soon be a thing of the past in California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Oct. 12 signed a bill making it illegal to sell, trade, or manufacture new fur products in the state as of 2023. The statewide ban will be the first in the nation.

The bill was one a handful Newsom signed relating to animal welfare and safety.

Sales of new handbags, hats, toys, home decor, clothing, or other products containing animal fur could lead to fines of up to $1,000 per illegal product.

The prohibition ordered by AB44 applies to any animal skin product with hair, fleece, or fur fibers.

Leather, cowhide, and wool are exempt. So, too, are dog and cat fur products, antique furs or taxidermy items, and those made for religious purposes and traditional tribal or cultural events.

Animal Cruelty

The measure is an attempt to halt cruel treatment of animals, said Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D), who wrote the bill.

In order to preserve pelts, animals are often gassed or electrocuted.

San Francisco and Los Angeles approved a ban on fur sales in 2018. Burberry, Gucci, Michael Kors, Versace and other brands already have gone fur-free or plan to switch to alternatives.

Newsom earlier this year signed AB273, which prohibits trapping fur-bearing or nongame mammals for sport or commerce.

European countries began banning fur farming in 2000 when the U.K. halted the practice. Earlier this year, Ireland became the 15th country in the European Union to ban fur farming, according to the Fur Free Alliance, based in the Netherlands.

Opponents argued the ban would encourage a black market for fur products and further harm animals.

Newsom also signed these animal-related bills:

• AB128 requires people who buy horses at auction sign a sworn affidavit saying they will comply with state law, which bans the sale of horses for slaughter and sale of horse meat.

Newsom signed this bill one day after Bureau of Land Management’s Acting Director William Perry Pendley said the biggest challenge facing public lands was free-roaming wild horses and burros.

More than 88,000 of the animals roam on 27 million acres and Pendley called the animals “an existential threat to these lands.”

Former President Richard Nixon signed the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act in 1971. The law gives the agency oversight to manage, protect, and control the animals on public lands. That includes removing some animals to sustain herd health and the rangeland for farmers and ranchers.

The agency routinely rounds up the horses and burros and some go to auction. More than 11,000 were removed in 2018.

Opponents say the practice is inhumane and could lead to the slaughter of animals.

• AB1254 prohibits hunting, trapping, or harming a bobcat, except under certain circumstances.

• AB1260 makes it a misdemeanor starting in 2022 to import, possess, or sell the body or body parts of several animals, including iguana, caiman, or hippopotamus.

• SB313 prohibits circuses from using animals other than domesticated dogs, cats, and horses.

“We are making a statement to the world that beautiful wild animals like bears and tigers have no place on trapeze wires or jumping through flames,” Newsom said in a news release.

The governor also signed these unrelated bills on Oct. 11 and 12:

• AB430 exempts residential and mixed-use construction projects proposed in eight cities near the 2018 Camp wildfire burn area from undergoing separate environmental reviews.

In addition to being California’s deadliest fire, it also destroyed 14% of the housing stock in Butte County, exacerbating an already stressed housing situation.

This bill allows projects under certain conditions, such as being part of current building plans, to be vetted by local planning staff and without California Environmental Quality Act review, which can lead to delays.

• AB423 changes the membership of the San Diego Air Pollution Control District from being comprised of the San Diego County Supervisors to one with those from local cities and stakeholders.

• AB1195 requires the California Air Resources Board to consider allowing renewable natural gas or biogas that reduces methane emissions as eligible for credits under Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations.

• AB1633 allows cities in the San Francisco Bay area’s nine-county Metropolitan Transportation Commission to optimize traffic signals to reduce travel times, idling, and fuel use.

• AB1290 requires that as a condition of state financing for a San Diego water recycling project, a labor agreement between project managers and workers must be in place.

• SB8 bans smoking and vaping at state parks and beaches. Former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) routinely vetoed similar bills, saying the third time: “We have many rules telling us what we can’t do and these are wide-open spaces.”

Newsom vetoed AB1195, which would have required the California Air Resources Board to consider allowing renewable natural gas or biogas that reduces methane emissions as eligible for credits under Low-Carbon Fuel Standard regulations.

In a veto message Newsom said CARB amended its regulations in 2018 “and made a carefully considered decision to prohibit this type of transfer, because doing so would undermine the programs ability to achieve ozone and particulate matter 2.5 health standards.”

He also said the standards “must be adopted to reduce air quality and health risks, not make them worse.”