Davis, Lightner & Historical Society Urge Congress to Help Save Post Office

A day after San Diego City Council unamiously passed a resolution in support of the Community Post Office Relocation Act, Congresswoman Susan Davis and San Diego Councilwoman Sherri Lightner met at the La Jolla Post Office to explain how this proposed legislation could help "Save Our La Jolla Post Office." The community first learned in January that the U.S. Postal Service was considering relocated services in La Jolla.

Congresswoman Susan Davis recently drafted legislation that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to sell any post office to an established non-profit community group at fair market value. In La Jolla, this means that a nonprofit, such as the La Jolla Historical Society, could purchase the 77-year-old La Jolla Post Office on Wall Street and lease back a portion of the building to the Post Office. The Postal Service has said this property is larger, and hence more expensive, then it needs.

"Your hard work to preserve this important, iconic building has not gone unnoticed in Washington," said Davis. 

Davis said her office contacted officials at the Postal Service to find out how the community could purchase the La Jolla Post Office to preserve the historical structure and the postal services that's been called the anchor of the Village.

"What I learned in those conversations was that there was no official procedure. There was no way that a community could actually purhcase a post office that was going to be sold," she said. "So I felt it was important to clarify this issue."

The proposal has received bipartisan support from Congressman Brian Bilbray and Bob Filner.  

On Wednesday morning, Davis and Lightner were joined by Leslie Davis, chair of the Save Our La Jolla Post Office Task Force, and Heath Fox, executive director of the La Jolla Historical Society in front of the library to provide an update on their collective efforts.

"Email is not killing the post office—politics is. And politics can save it," said Davis.

In January, the Postal Service announced plans to relocate the La Jolla Post office within one mile of its current location. It told Patch, “The Postal Service appreciates the fact that customers like those in La Jolla hold their local Post Offices in high regard and value our products and services. That’s why we are taking necessary steps nationwide to ensure the long-term viability of the Postal Service by identifying sensible ways to reduce our costs and maintain affordable, efficient service.”