Manhattan Beach : Pigeon Ruling Overturned

The Manhattan Beach City Council will permit Joseph Arrigo to keep his flock of racing pigeons at 755 26th St. The decision on Tuesday overturned a Sept. 10 ruling by the city Board of Zoning Adjustments that revoked Arrigo’s license. Several of Arrigo’s neighbors had called the birds a nuisance, complaining especially about droppings on cars and buildings in the pigeons’ daily flight pattern.

But after hearing more than an hour of often conflicting testimony, the council decided on a 3-2 vote that Arrigo did not violate a permit originally issued to him in 1975.

Councilmen Russ Lesser and Bob Holmes were opposed, arguing that pigeons may not be appropriate pets in densely populated Manhattan Beach. Lesser unsuccessfully urged the council to review its ordinances on pigeon racing activities.