Politics & Government

Officials Ask USPS to Halt Sale of La Jolla Post Office

The U.S. Postal Service approved the decision to relocate the La Jolla Post Office on March 22.

Just days after learning that the U.S. Postal Service had approved the proposed relocation and sale of the La Jolla Post Office on Wall Street, officials gathered outside of the 77-year-old community hub to protest the decision.

La Jollans first learned of the Postal Service proposed actions in January 2012. Since then, more than 2,000 local residents have signed protest petitions against a closure and relocation of services. However, on March 22, the Postal Service posted a note on the outside of the Post Office of its decision to move forward with a relocation to an unidentified site. A date for the move has not been established at this time, according to the Postal Service. 

“No single issues has brought La Jollans together like this one,” said Joe LaCava, vice chair of the Save Our La Jolla Post Office Task Force. “The Post Office is a cultural icon, an economic generator and, frankly, the heart and soul of our walkable village.”

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Appeals may be submitted to the Postal Serivce through April 5. Appeals should be sent to: Vice President, Facilities, Pacific Facilities Service Office, 1300 Evans Ave. Ste. 200, San Francisco CA 94188-0200.

Congressman Scott Peters, Congresswoman Susan Davis, San Diego Council President Pro Tem Sherri Lightner and La Jolla Historical Society Executive Director Heath Fox joined LaCava in the fight Thursday.

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Peters called the La Jolla Post Office a community jewel. He said he was disappointed to hear that the relocation notice was posted despite efforts by the community.

“What they want to do is find another place near here to do their postal operations. Then once they find that place, sign a lease and sell this building for whatever purpose. The community has been working really hard to prevent that,” Peters said. “We acknowledge that the Postal Service may want to shed some really estate, but if there is any sale of this building we’d like to preserve the function of selling stamps and having a Post Office right here.”

Congressman Peters recently re-introduced federal legislation that would allow the Postal Service to sell any post office subject to closure or relocation, like La Jolla’s, to an established non-profit community organization at fair market value.

The Task Force has stated that it hopes to convince the Post Office to stop the closure, sale and relocation of services. If it were not able to stop the closure, sale and relocation, it would like to raise enough money to buy the property and lease it back to the Post Office. Lastly, if the Task Force is not able to accomplish these plans, it hopes to work with a buyer to “enable a beneficial purchase of the property and work closely together on an adaptive reuse that would preserve the building, the (historical Bell Baranceanu) mural and public access to key areas while meeting the buyer’s desires.”

“We have pleaded with the Postal Service to slow down and explore the opportunity of selling the post office to an established community group with a promise of leasing back the property at a nominal fee. Who could say no to that? Well apparently the U.S. Postal Service can. It is so short sighted and misguided that it takes your breath away,” said Lightner.

“For the Postal Service to move forward with the sale is just the type of bullheaded bureaucratic bungling that gives government a bad name,” she added.

Davis said the community needs to continue putting on the pressure.

“It is going to be difficult, but it can happen here—if it can happen anywhere,” said Davis on Thursday.


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