The Portland City Council will vote Thursday whether to ban the sale and provision of force-fed foie gras in Portland. The ordinance has pitted the animal rights group Pro-Animal Oregon against members of Portland’s restaurant industry: 81 people signed up for public comment at the policy’s first reading on April 29.
That sea of public testimony has largely obscured the councilors’ views of the ordinance. On May 27, the council moved the policy to a second reading without discussing its merits.
But the council did discuss an amendment by Council Vice President Olivia Clark to allow businesses more time to comply with the ordinance. They eventually voted 9–3 to extend the effective date to 180 days after the policy’s passage…