West Hollywood made history by once again voting to become the first city in the nation to ban the sale of clothing apparel with animal fur Monday night. But the third time around, the vote showed a City Council deeply divided on the issue.

The previous two times, the fur ban has come up for a vote—at the and council meetings—the five council members approved the measure unanimously. This time, the ordinance passed with just three votes. Although the council several details were missing from the ordinance, thus forcing them to hold this unusual "second first reading" with the added details. But in the ensuing six weeks, the business community began campaigning against the ban.

When Councilman John D'Amico first introduced the ban, he reported that only a "handful" of businesses would be affected. After that, the West Hollywood-based Fur Information Council of America (FICA) released an economic impact study showing that out of 209 clothing apparel businesses in the city, 91 of them, 46 percent, sold clothing or accessories with animal fur. That information, combined with lobbying by the business community, prompted Councilman John Heilman to change his vote to a nay. Heilman said passing the ordinance and thereby alienating the business community was not wise as it invites costly lawsuits.

"If the goal is to end animal cruelty, we need to get the businesses and the community on board," he said. The fur ban only applies to clothing apparel, not furniture items made with fur. Heilman wondered if this fur clothing ban might eventually lead to a ban on furniture with fur or leather products. He said he did not want to be at war with businesses that sell leather or the leather community.

Councilwoman Abbe Land abstained from voting, explaining that while she was against fur apparel sold in the city, she did not think the ordinance was the right one to accomplish that. She too did not believe it was smart to adopt the ban unless the business community was supportive.

Business community against ban

Of the 35 people who spoke during public comment, half were business representatives speaking against it. One business owner said the city does not have any right to dictate what he sells unless they are also paying his rent. FICA executive director Keith Kaplan talked of the high-end retailers that are threatening to move their stores out of West Hollywood if the ban passes.