We have a huge cheer for San Francisco because yesterday it became the largest city in the nation to ban the sale of fur clothing, following the lead of West Hollywood and Berkeley.

The Board of Supervisors approved the ban in a unanimous vote and it will go into effect in January 2019. Mayor Mark Farrell has said publicly he will sign the legislation into law when it crosses his desk.

“More than 50 million animals are violently killed each year around the world to support the fashion industry,” said Supervisor Katy Tang, who introduced the fur sale ban legislation, in a statement to the San Francisco Examiner after the vote. “San Francisco is a city with progressive values where we believe in the rights of all people as well as all living things – and it is not right to allow this practice to continue.”

In adopting the ban, the board stood up against business advocates and the fur industry who warned of a loss of millions of dollars and jobs, according to the Examiner. Estimated fur sales in San Francisco range from $11 million to as high as $40 million.