Pico Rivera aims to buy L.A.'s last slaughterhouse to keep other meat processors from moving in
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The last slaughterhouse in Los Angeles County permanently closed its doors nearly four months ago in the wake of operational violations, escaped cattle and, finally, bankruptcy.Now, with the site up for sale, the city of Pico Rivera is vying for a chance to reimagine it.The city announced on Tuesday its intention to participate in the public auction of the 3.74-acre meat-processing facility, known as Manning Beef, with the goal of barring another meatpacking company from taking over the site.“Hopefully either we purchase it outright, or, at the end of the day, if we can work with another developer who wants to come in and share our same vision,” Steve Carmona, Pico Rivera’s city manager, said of Wednesday’s auction.
The site could be used for affordable housing, public open space, or to house an operation focusing on sustainable, plant-based food innovation, according to the city.Carmona said Tuesday the opening bid for the site of the former facility was $7 million.Without disclosing an exact amount, the city manager said that Pico Rivera had set aside some funding for strategic real estate acquisitions and that this would be the ideal investment for the community.
Manning Beef was founded in the 1920s as a ranching business.Three decades later, the meatpacking plant opened its doors in Pico Rivera, said Ben Williamson, executive director of Animal Outlook, a national animal advocacy organization.
“I was born and raised in the city, and ever since I was a kid, it’s always been there,” Carmona said.“It’s had some challenges in the community.” California A herd of cows got loose and wandered into a residential Pico Rivera neighborhood Tuesday night.Manning Beef made national headlines in 2021 when a small herd of cattle escaped through an open gate and went for a nighttime stroll, wandering more than a mile away into a residential neighborhood.
One of the ab...