Breaking! Monumental Campaigns To Ensure That California Becomes ‘Fur Free’ Result In Yesterday’s Passage Of 2 Bills Now To Be Voted On In Next Committee

The California Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife approved by 8-4 margin AB-44, a statewide ban on the sale and manufacture of fur in the state.

Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), which spearheaded the effort to ban fur in San Francisco that went into effect January 1st, organized more than 100 supporters in attendance from a coalition of animal rights groups.

“Activism against fur is becoming commonplace because the public consciousness around this cruelty is rising,” Lewis Bernier, a fur farm investigator with DxE, said in a statement sent to WAN. “Fewer and fewer people think torturing animals is fashionable.”

With a wave of cities, including West Hollywood, San Francisco, and Los Angeles going fur-free, along with major retailers and fashion labels, activists want to springboard the momentum into an end to the fur industry.

As reported by WAN yesterday, Assembly Bill 273, the Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, which would finally end the de facto taxpayer-subsidized commercial fur trapping industry in California, cleared a key hurdle when it passed the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee with a vote of 9 to 3.

“It was exciting to see Californians from every nook and cranny around the state show up to support ending the sale of fur with AB 44 and commercial fur trapping AB 273,” said Judie Mancuso, President and Founder of Social Compassion in Legislation, co-sponsor of AB 273. “Farming or trapping animals in torturous ways for our clothing and accessories which all have cruelty-free alternatives simply is not acceptable in this day and age and we are thrilled our legislators on the committee agreed.”

Both AB 44, The California State Fur Ban Bill, and Assembly Bill AB 273, The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019, now move forward to be voted on in The Assembly Judiciary Committee.