Vernon : Meat Plant to Get $7 Million for Expansion and Jobs

Clougherty Packing Co., maker of Dodger Dogs and other meat products under the Farmer John label, will receive $7 million to finance an expansion project that will bring 100 new jobs to the Southeast area.

The funding, made available through tax-exempt bonds being issued through the city, will enable the company to replace outdated buildings and equipment at its meat-processing plant at 3049 E. Vernon Ave.

The finance plan was approved recently by the California Development Financing Advisory Commission. The commission issues tax-exempt bonds to provide small manufacturing firms with capital to create jobs.

The Vernon City Council voted last year to form an Industrial Development Authority, a nonprofit entity to act as a conduit for the state bonds, said Gerald Forde, an assistant to the city administrator who specializes in economic development.

“We were concerned about the loss of jobs and the loss of tradition in the city,” Forde said. “We serve as an employment base for adjacent communities, so we’re concerned when companies like (Clougherty) need help.”

About 53,000 people work in Vernon, but the city lost 991 jobs in 1992, Forde said, and has lost at least 18 major companies since 1980. Farmer John is one of the city’s largest remaining employers with 1,181 workers.