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Press Release
September 30, 2009
Contact: Aaron Hunter 202-225-2040
Rep. Susan Davis Fights to Keep Local Post Offices Open
Three of five originally targeted for closure to remain open
San Diego, CA - Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dead of night is supposed to keep the United States Postal Services (USPS) from carrying out it duties. However the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is putting that creed to the test largely because of decreased commercial volume. The USPS is strapped for cash and may close local post offices. Rep. Susan Davis is fighting to keep them open.
“These offices are an integral part of the community.” said Davis. “If they were to close, it would have a significant impact on the neighborhoods. These closures would also inordinately affect the elderly and people with disabilities. I understand that the USPS is in financial straits but closures are a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I will continue to work with the USPS and local communities to keep these offices open and maintain the vibrancy of the postal service.”
The USPS originally had five offices that serve Davis’s congressional district targeted for possible closure. Three of the five – Oak Park, Point Loma, and most recently, University City – have been removed from the list. Only the branches in North Park and Golden Hill remain as potential targets for shuttering.
Davis has taken a number of actions to keep the offices in her district open.
Her office met with the San Diego Postmaster to ascertain the decision process for closures, what communities can do to keep them open, and to directly convey the San Diegans’ concerns. Davis has received more than a hundred calls, letters, and emails about the potential closures.
In August, Davis wrote to the United States Postmaster General to make the case that the offices should remain open.
The slumping economy and a decrease in mail volume have put the service on the ropes financially. The USPS has lost $4.9 billion so far in 2009.
On September 15, Davis supported H.R. 22 to provide the USPS with an infusion of cash by reducing the amount it must pay into the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund from $5.4 billion to $1.4 billion for FY 2009. The reduction will not affect current or future retirees. H.R. 22 was approved by the House on a vote of 388-32 and is pending in the Senate.
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