Victory for animals! On Friday, October 11, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Bill AB 44 into effect, making the manufacture or sale of fur items illegal in the state starting January 1, 2023.

California is the first state to pass a law of this kind, and we thank all the lawmakers and activists — including the nearly 30,000 of you who signed our petition — who helped make this bill a reality.

Assemblymember Laura Friedman drafted this historic bill, which makes it “illegal to sell, donate or manufacture new fur products in the state,” including “all new clothing, handbags, shoes and other items made with fur.” It does not include furs used in religious ceremonies, used furs, leather, and certain animal products.

This statewide action follows recent fur bans in major cities throughout California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and comes quickly after the state passed a ban on fur trapping and certain bans on the sale and trade of exotic animal skin.

Fur farms are torture for the animals forced to spend their short and painful lives there. The farms do not provide proper nutrition or veterinary care to the animals, who are crammed into tiny cages and often self-mutilate as a result of stress and anxiety. They are beaten, skinned alive, and left to bleed out and die in agony. It is a horrific system, and we are thrilled that California is using its political power to help end to the cruelty.

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