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Zoning Overlay Upheld in Federal Court

5/15/2018

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San Francisco—(May 14, 2018) Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District Zoning Overlay was upheld today in United States District Court.

In August of 2016, the United States Department of Justice, acting on behalf of the United States Postal Service, sought injunctive relief against Berkeley’s District Overlay “insofar as it regulates the Berkeley Main Post Office parcel, located at 2000 Allston Way, Berkeley.”

On Monday, Judge William Alsup issued an “Order Setting Forth Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.” Judge Alsup entered judgment in favor of the City of Berkeley, finding that USPS “had established no entitlement to relief on its claims.”

Back in February of 2014, the USPS received among other offers a bid from Hudson McDonald, a developer who intended to convert most of 2000 Allston Way to commercial use as, for example, a Target store. In September 2014, USPS agreed to sell the property for $9 million to Hudson McDonald.

And also in September 2014, the council passed the Civic Center District Overlay. The Overlay restricted the entire Civic Center Historic District — including the post office — to civic, nonprofit, cultural, and other similar uses, for the professed purpose of preserving the integrity of the area and protecting its cultural and historical heritage

The ruling in federal court upholding the District Overlay is cause for celebration. It is an important victory in the fight to preserve Berkeley’s historic Civic Center District and in the effort to preserve historic downtown post offices.

The Department of Justice argued the USPS case with DOJ attorneys who were flown in from Washington DC. We are grateful to the attorneys who successfully represented Berkeley: Andrew W. Schwartz of Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger LLP and Berkeley City Attorney Farimah F. Brown and her deputy attorneys.

The successful legal defense of the Zoning Overlay was only possible because of the steadfast leadership of the Mayor and City Council. Special recognition is owed to Jesse Arreguin, Linda Maio, Susan Wengraf and Kriss Worthington who have been working on this since 2012 when USPS first proposed selling the Berkeley Main Post Office.

And thanks are owed to each of you as part of the Berkeley community that attended numerous hearings and made clear to everyone that preserving the character of Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center is an issue that matters to us.

What happens now? USPS may decide to appeal the ruling. Or USPS could reconsider its decision to dispose of the building, recognize the value of the facility and location and bring back some services. Or USPS could go forward with its plan to dispose of the building, lease back a portion for retail sales, and find a purchaser consistent with the Zoning Overlay. In 2014, USPS walked away from ongoing talks to craft an historic preservation covenant for 2000 Allston Way. That action by USPS led to a suit by the City of Berkeley and the National Trust for Historic Preservation alleging violations of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That suit was declared moot when USPS asserted they no longer intended to sell 2000 Allston Way. A sale of 2000 Allston Way that conformed with the Zoning Overlay but did not include an adequate historic preservation covenant could result in a refiling of the 2014 suit.
   
Read the U.S. District Court's Decision in USPS v City of Berkeley
Read Maria Dinzeo's article in Courthouse News: "Judge Find No Issue in Bid to Block Sale of Historic Post Office
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USPS v City of Berkeley goes to Trial on Monday, April 2, 2018

3/31/2018

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At High Noon on Monday, April 2, 2018, the lawsuit initiated by the United States Post Office and the United States Department of Justice against the City of Berkeley will come to trial. Back in August of 2016, the Feds initiated this suit in a challenge to the right of the City of Berkeley to pass a Zoning Overlay Ordinance designed to protect the character of the Berkeley Historic Civic Center District.

Defending against the full power of the United States Government is a lot to take on, a regular David vs. Goliath battle for the City of Berkeley. Fortunately, attorneys for the City of Berkeley have skillfully defended the Historic Civic Center Zoning Overlay.
The USPS/ DOJ argued that the Zoning Overlay results in a “total frustration” of the ability of the USPS to manage its assets.  At the Motion for Summary Judgment hearing on January 11, 2018, Judge William Alsup told the DOJ attorney that “…if it just comes down to we could get more (money for the Berkeley Main Post Office) without the overlay, you're going to lose because that's not total frustration.”

The trial on Monday, April 2nd, will be a bench trial before Judge Alsup. Both USPS/DOJ and the City of Berkeley are relying on the court filings as of the January 11, 2018 Motion for Summary Judgment. Both sides will have one hour each to present oral arguments to Judge Alsup.

The trial is at 12 noon, Monday, April 2, 2018 in Courtroom 12, 19th Floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco.

If you decide to attend the trial, be advised that 450 Golden Gate has airport style security. A government-issued photo I.D. is required. Judge Alsup starts proceedings promptly and the security process is sometimes slow.

These three documents provide a good summary of the arguments to date:
1) USPS/ DOJ argument for summary judgment (November 30, 2017)
2) City of Berkeley argument for summary judgment (December 1, 2017)
3) Transcript of the January 11, 2018 hearing on the competing motions for summary judgment
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Trial Unlikely in Fight with USPS over Civic Center Historic District

1/12/2018

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UPDATE: USPS v Berkeley will in fact go to trial.
The bench trial is scheduled before Judge William Alsup
at 12 noon on Monday, April 2, 2018 in Courtroom 12, 19th floor, 450 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco.

Maria Dinzeo reports in Courthouse News on the January 11 hearing before Judge William Alsup in USPS v. City of Berkeley, the Postal Service suit against Berkeley´s Civic Center Historic District Zoning Overlay
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – A federal judge seemed disinclined to order a trial in the U.S. Postal Service’s now four-year legal fight with the city of Berkeley over the planned sale of its historic downtown post office, wary of claims the city is intentionally trying to diminish the building’s value and discourage buyers.

“We’re not just talking about the Postal Service’s ability to sell one piece of property, but their obligation to serve the whole country and be self-sustaining,” said Julie Berman, a Justice Department attorney arguing on behalf of the Postal Service. “The financial situation of the Postal Service is such that it’s putting the mission at risk.”

Her argument did not convince U.S. District Judge William Alsup.

“You could still do a pretty good deal,” he said, even with the possible 39 percent decrease in value.

The Postal Service announced plans to sell the 104-year old neoclassical style building, designed by Oscar Wenderoth and listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1981.

In September 2014, the Postal Service struck an agreement to sell the building to urban developer Hudson McDonald. That same month, Berkeley passed an overlay restricting nine parcels of downtown land, including the post office, to civic and nonprofit uses.

The Postal Service argued the developer backed out of the deal because the overlay had so devalued the property that the developer said it was “destroyed and worth very little.”

At a hearing on cross-motions for summary judgment Thursday, Alsup said the Postal Service had all but conceded it would have to prove that the city’s overlay did more than simply interfere with the sale. He said the agency must show “total frustration” of its ability to dispose of its property and manage its resources to the point it violates the 1970 Postal Reorganization Act, which mandates disposal of unused property.

“If it devalues the property in a way that obstructs the Postal Service’s ability to manage its finances and the potential for sale at only 61 percent of market value, the court should examine that potential,” Berman said, adding the Postal Service fears a ruling in favor of the city would encourage others to enact similar zoning laws. “If this overlay ordinance is upheld, other municipalities would follow suit.”

Berman said the overlay reduces the number of potential buyers by about 80 percent of the market.

“That still leaves 20 percent,” Alsup said. “Where does it say they’ve got to sell it for full value? They paid almost nothing for this property. They could still sell it for a profit. If it just comes down to ‘We could get more without the overlay,’ you’re going to lose. Because it’s not a total frustration.

“I just think you need something stronger to be able to show it’s total frustration. They could sell it for 30 percent. That’s good money. The Postal Service goes and buys a lot of stamps for that,” he joked, appearing weary of Berman’s constant dodging of his direct questions.
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“I’m not going to rule on this now,” he said, ending the hearing with an admonition to Berman that the Postal Service is going to need a stronger argument to proceed to trial other than the law says it should be able to make maximum profit off of the sale.

Read the entire article in Courthouse News

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Feds Press Lawsuit Against Berkeley's Historic Civic Center District 

12/30/2017

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8 a.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2018, arguments will be heard before Judge William Alsup, Courtroom 12, 19th floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue

The City of Berkeley and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), acting on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service, will be in Federal Court on Thursday January 11, 2018. This hearing is the result of a suit filed by the DOJ against Berkeley on August 22, 2016. The DOJ suit alleges that Berkeley’s Civic Center Historic District Zoning Overlay is not permitted under the United States Constitution.

Some background: In 1998 the City of Berkeley designated our Civic Center as an historic district and the same year Berkeley’s Civic Center Historic District was entered on the National Register of Historic Places.

In September of 2014, responding to community demand, including numerous public hearings and a ballot initiative, the Berkeley City Council passed the Civic Center Historic District Zoning Overlay. The Overlay protects and preserves our Civic Center from commercial activities that are different in character than its current and historic civic, institutional and community-serving uses.

The federal lawsuit asserts that the Zoning Overlay is an unconstitutional attempt by a local government to interfere with a function of the federal government.  In this case that function is the Postal Service plan to sell our historic Berkeley Main Post Office. Possibly, the Postal Service argues, it could get more money for the building if a new owner could develop the property for whatever uses would fetch the highest return.

The City of Berkeley and the DOJ/ USPS have filed competing motions for summary judgment. At 8 a.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2018, arguments will be heard before Judge William Alsup, Courtroom 12, 19th floor, 450 Golden Gate Avenue.

It is wholly remarkable that in the space of a very few years our federal government has transformed from being a cornerstone of civic life in America’s communities to filing a lawsuit against the City of Berkeley alleging that its attempt to preserve its Civic Center violates the United States Constitution.

In the 1998 nomination for National Register listing the late Susan Cerny wrote: "By its very nature, Berkeley's Civic Center District has been intimately intertwined with the political/social history and welfare of the city. Every civic and social function within the district promoted the welfare of citizens. The district is significant for efforts during the first four decades of the twentieth century to establish good public parks and buildings — not only as a way to beautify communities, but as a means of fostering public-minded behavior and good citizenship."


If you want to witness the hearing on January 11th, be advised that entry to 450 Golden Gate requires presentation of government-issued photo identification and that visitors are required to pass through electronic security equipment. Both the Golden Gate and Turk Street entrances have ADA access.

Read the City of Berkeley and the DOJ/ USPS arguments in their motions to dismiss.
Confirm time and date of the hearing on Judge Alsup's calendar.
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The boundaries of the Zoning Overlay are identical to the Berkeley Civic Center Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998.
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The Long History of the Berkeley Civic Center

12/2/2017

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by Harvey Smith
Author, Berkeley and the New Deal

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Proposed Liberty Square, 1919
(image courtesy Berkeley Public Library)
Berkeley Civic Center as a concept goes back over a hundred years. However, it is also self-evident that a great city deserves a great civic center.
 
Berkeley’s Civic Center District Zoning Overlay, which was passed three years ago, merely respects, codifies, and protects over 100 years of Berkeley history. Civic uses of the district are not in opposition to other types of development in the city but will complement them.
 
In 1909, the new City Hall was presented as part of the city's image of the "Athens of the West" and was linked to the neo-classical buildings being built on the U.C. campus.
  
City Hall bordered what was planned as a City Beautiful Movement-style central park area. Architect and city planner Charles Henry Cheney, who drafted California’s first city planning act (passed in 1915), provided initial designs for what he called “Liberty Square.”
 
The 1914 Post Office was part of this conception and was done in an Italian Renaissance style.
 
The Veteran's Building, Community Theater, Farm Credit Building (now the Civic Center Building) and other buildings contributed to this grouping of public buildings.
 
Berkeley voters approved a bond measure in 1940 that furnished the last funds needed to complete Civic Center Park.
 
The historic Civic Center has the most concentrated number of New Deal-era projects in Berkeley - "Berkeley's New Deal Nexus":  Berkeley Community Theater, G and H Buildings at Berkeley High, old Hall of Justice, Farm Credit Building, WPA work on Civic Center Park, art work on and in a number of these buildings (including the Main Post Office).
 
The entire district was listed in 1998 to the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources due to its historic, cultural, educational, governmental and judicial significance. The Civic Center Park fountain is at the center of the axis of these structures representing our community's democratic and social functions.
 
Civic Center Park continues to function as site of public events, concerts and fairs, and the adjacent Center Street hosts the weekly Saturday Farmers' Market. Dubbed Provo Park in the 1960s, it was the site of many anti-war demonstrations. In 1983, it was designated as Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park.
 
The effort to privatize our postal system and the selling of post offices in the past several years throughout the country illustrate how public assets can be stripped from communities for private gain.
 
Citizens in communities throughout the country have protested this heist of cultural heritage. In Berkeley it has been a broad-based effort involving two mayors, the entire city council, citizens of every background, and members of the state and federal legislative delegations.
 
The Shattuck corridor, North Berkeley, South Berkeley, West Berkeley, Fourth Street and Telegraph Avenue are target areas for development. Protection from private development of Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District is seen by many as a way to preserve the civic values cherished by most Berkeleyans. Berkeley citizens are not alone. Across the Bay, San Francisco also has its own Civic Center Historic District.

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US Must Choke Off Predatory Payday Loans and Create Low-Cost "Public Option" Banking

8/8/2015

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by Ira Dember
America has 30,000 post offices — mostly in lower-income zip codes where bank branches are vanishing and payday lenders spread like toadstools after rain — making a public option for basic financial services a no-brainer. In this article Ira Dember talks about how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed crackdown on predatory pay day lenders is only half a solution. Without an alternative, "desperation borrowers" are left with nowhere to turn. Reform — without an alternative — will harm millions of hardworking families who urgently need ready access to affordable small loans between meager paychecks. Dember tells us that no one — repeat no one — has proposed any solution that even comes close to addressing this need, except the Inspector General of the United States Postal Service, David Williams.
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In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules to crack down on predatory payday lenders. These rules would prevent many payday lending abuses and give consumers a way out of lenders' debt trap.

Under the CFPB's new rules, borrowers would first have to show they could cover their basic living expenses while repaying loans. Lenders could skip "means testing" and instead limit each person's total borrowing to $500 — with a single finance charge and no repeated charges. Gone would be auto title loans: if you can't repay, lenders can't grab your car. (Workers often lose their jobs when they lose their wheels, a "death spiral" that spreads personal and financial chaos.)

A couple of months after the CFPB published its proposed rules, TheHill.com reported financial industry blowback. According to The Hill, a credit reporting agency warns these rules would cut the number of payday loans by 70%. A global consulting firm catering to the financial industry predicts the new rules would reduce "payday loan revenues of small lenders" by 82%.

In a related piece, The Hill parroted bankers' ridicule that the US Postal Service could provide basic financial services. It spewed lies by omission: "the fiscally unsteady US Postal Service... a federal agency in financial trouble... trying to salvage a floundering operation... [in] a federal agency, which has lost billions of taxpayer dollars over the years." The report never mentioned the Postal Service's $1.4 billion operating profit last year alone, or that the USPS's "financial trouble" was fabricated by Congress. "Trouble" refers to a ludicrous 75-year pension and healthcare pre-funding requirement to cover workers who haven't yet been born — a fact The Hill conveniently omitted.

Meanwhile, The Hill's selective reporting on the proposed CFPB rules left readers wondering whether these rules exemplify government overreach, unduly burdening lenders.

Truth is, payday predators take billions a year from paycheck-to-paycheck families. Retired folks struggling to survive on a pittance of Social Security also get snared. Lenders have been running their debt traps for years. Interest rates (effective APR) on payday loans average about 400%. Some loans end up costing borrowers 1,000% a year — 10 times the amount they borrowed. Even the Bible speaks out against such excesses.

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Say "No!" to Demolition

7/30/2015

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UPDATE 8/5/2015: Under Pressure, USPS Has Agreed to Stop "Pursuing Demolition" for Downtown Napa Post Office

NAPA, CA – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has agreed at this time to stop pursuing the demolition of the Historic Franklin Station Post Office in downtown Napa and will instead pursue the sale of the building and property. The USPS will initiate the process to sell the post office in mid-August. The USPS will hold a public meeting where community members can provide feedback on the location of the new Napa post office.

Many thanks are due to Congressman Thompson and to everyone who pressured the USPS to back away from the proposed demolition.

Read Congressman Thompson’s press release.

An Urgent Call to Help Save Napa's Downtown Post Office

The US Postal Service wants to tear down the historic Downtown Post Office in Napa, California. The Postal Service has not held a public meeting and openly discussed the reasons why this Art Deco masterpiece and important part of Napa's history must be destroyed.

The Postal Service announced that it will cost $8 million to restore the building and make it earthquake proof. The Postal Service compares that with $500,000 to raze the structure. But the Postal Service did not provide any basis for these numbers.  Julianne Polanco, California's State Historic Preservation Officer,  wrote the Postal Service that the "
correspondence received contained no explanatory information, such as structural reports, economic analyses, existing condition assessment, in order to derive such a determination."

But even while the Postal Service is refusing to hold a public meeting, the citizens of Napa are organizing and fighting back to save their Downtown Post Office!

Napa County Landmarks to Host Public Meeting

Napa County Landmarks will host a public meeting to generate support for saving the Franklin Station post office. Please come and speak out to save this important Napa landmark.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Monday August 10, 2015
Napa County Library, 580 Coombs St., Napa, CA 94559

For details, call 255-1836.
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Join the People of Napa, U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in a petition to the Megan Brennan, the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service,  and demand that the Postal Service engage with the community and consider alternatives to demolition.

Sign the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Petition:

SIgn the petition to Postmaster general brennan

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The Downtown Napa Post Office at 1352 Second Street was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. An outstanding example of Art Deco design, the post office was constructed during the New Deal in 1933.

 

By law, Federal Agencies are responsible for preserving historic properties under their jurisdiction. The Postal Service has failed to do that with historic properties across our earthquake prone state. The Napa Post Office was damaged in the August 24, 2014 quake. Now the Postal Service proposes to demolish the building.




What's Wrong with the Postal Service Decision?

  1. Demolition of the Franklin Station Post Office will have a significant impact on Napa and will result in a permanent loss of a part of Bay Area history. The Postal Service has not attempted to mitigate the loss.
  2. The Franklin Station Post Office has high artistic and architectural value. It was designed by Napa architect William Corlett and is a rare example of the Art Deco style in Napa.
  3. The United States Postal Service holds the Franklin Station Post Office in trust for the people of our country. It remains a public building built with taxpayer funds and belongs to all of us.
  4. The Postal Service is responsible for maintaining the building in good condition. That responsibility includes seismic analysis and structural improvement. The Postal Service failed to protect the public, their employees and this building.
  5. The Franklin Station Post Office has suffered from deferred maintenance.
  6. The Postal Service has not analyzed alternatives. The Postal Service unilaterally decided on demolition and has not released information to the public supporting their decision to demolish the building.
  7. There has been no public process, no public notice.

More information

  • City of Napa Downtown Post Office webpage
  • USPS letter to California SHPO proposing demolition, June 26, 2015 (with attachments)
  • Save Our Historic Napa Post Office on Facebook
  • Napa Valley Register: "Napans Rally to Protest Demolition"
  • April 2014 Report to Congress on "Preserving Historic Post Offices" by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
  • Section 110 and the Spirit of Stewardship
  • USPS Inspector General "Preservation and and Disposal of Historic Properties", April 2014
  • USPS Inspector General "Postal Service Management of CBRE Real Estate Transactions", April 2015

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LaborFest: A Victory in the Fight to Save Our Historic Post Offices

7/10/2015

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July 13 (Monday) 7:00 PM (Free) Canessa Gallery - 708 Montgomery St., SF
A Victory in the Fight to Save our Historic Post Offices
With members of the Committee to Save the Berkeley Post Office
The U.S. Postal Service, now headed by those favoring privatization, is closing and selling off many post offices listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reducing postal services and cutting public sector union jobs.  Many of these historic post offices have murals and art created during the New Deal. The City of Berkeley, however, prevailed in federal court saving the historic post office building and setting a precedent for others.  The case promises to save union jobs by requiring the USPS to follow the law. Come hear the story of how a spirited group of Berkeley residents set a national precedent.
Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office fought for their historic building and art for three years.  They made the nation aware of the issue with articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
For information: harveysmithberkeley@yahoo.com
or call 510-684-0414
Note: Unfortunately the Canessa Gallery is not wheelchair accessible.

Click here for the complete LaborFest 2015 calendar.
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A Victory in the Fight to Save our Historic Post Offices

5/22/2015

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Photos from the May 9, 2015 Victory Rally


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Certificates of Appreciation to Tony Rossmann, Brian Turner, Roger Moore, and Zach Cowan

GREETINGS FROM
CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE

"On behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, thank you for all your work toward preserving this historic cornerstone of our community."

click to download
 The U.S. Postal Service, now headed by a governing body that favors privatization, is closing and selling off many post office buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reducing postal services and cutting public sector union jobs. Many of these historic post offices have murals and art created during the 1930s New Deal. The City of Berkeley, however, recently prevailed in federal court, saving its historic post office building.  This victory serves as a precedent and example for other communities who want to save their Post Offices.  The case also may save union jobs by requiring the USPS to follow the law.

In the fight to save its historic post office building, the Berkeley community had the  support of its City Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the California State Office of Historic Preservation, and the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO.  The APWU formed A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service,  which includes 74 national organizations. Berkeley's Congresswoman Barbara Lee now has a bill in Congress, The Moratorium on U.S. Historic Postal Buildings Act, to stave off continuing USPS privatization. In Its report, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Post Office building sales were improper and even corrupt.  The OIG found that the contract with realty company CBRE, headed by Richard Blum, Senator Diane Feinstein's husband, was improperly executed.

In Berkeley, the community organized Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office, which fought for their historic building and art for three years.  They made the nation aware of the issue with articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. At one point, an official in the Postal Service commented  "We shouldn't have messed with Berkeley."

When confronted before a federal judge with multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, the Postal Service chose instead to assure the court that Berkeley’s Main Post Office is no longer for sale.  Although the USPS may still decide to relocate or sell Berkeley's much loved post office, it is unlikely because the judge is continuing his oversight for the next five years. Future legal action challenging the USPS remains an open option. Other communities, wishing to preserve their historic post offices, could work to replicate similar judicial rulings in their federal districts.

Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office are grateful to the City of Berkeley legal staff Zach Cowan, attorneys Tony Rossmann, Roger Moore, and Brian Turner for their pro bono legal services. Since this victory, a post office horror story has emerged.  The historic Venice, CA. Post Office was sold by the USPS and is now abandoned and covered with graffiti. This could have happened here.


We recommend Peter Byrne's article in the May 6, 2015 East Bay Express on the USPS Inspector General's audit of the Postal Service's contract with the giant real estate firm CBRE. Click to download.
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Rally on the Steps, 1p to 3p, Saturday, May 9th

5/4/2015

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Music with Carol Denney, Hali Hammer, Dave Welsh, Anna DeLeon, and others.

Come Celebrate Our Legal Victory

Rally from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2015 on the steps of Berkeley's Main Post Office, 2000 Allston Way, Berkeley!
Join the Committee to Save the Berkeley Post Office as we celebrate a Victory! —Berkeley made history by going to court and stopping the Postal Service from selling our Downtown Post Office.
Our struggle isn’t over—the Postal Service may try again to sell the building. And we need full postal services restored and a well-maintained building.
But Saturday, May 9th, let’s celebrate!
Come out and thank our community
and help honor the four attorneys whose work achieved this victory: Tony Rossmann and
Roger Moore (pro bono for the City of Berkeley), Zach Cowan (City Attorney) and Brian Turner (National Trust for Historic Preservation.)

Music! Speakers! Cake! More Music!!!
The U.S. Postal Service belongs to the people of this country. We must not permit postal executives and the Board of Governors to sell our beautiful historic buildings; . . . nor should we permit CBRE to drain the Postal Service treasury with lease deals that benefit the real estate firm at the expense of postal customers and the American people.
--Mark Dimondstein (President, American Postal Workers Union
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    ABOUT

    The USPS wants to sell Berkeley's historic main post office. Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office is a grassroots group that has come together to block the sale of our heritage, stop service cut backs, and preserve living wage postal jobs.

    Our fight is not unique. Thousands of post office closures across the country mean the largest private auction of public history our nation has ever seen.

    Join the movement and spread the word. Our post office is not for sale.

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    Ten Easy Steps
    to Making a Music Video
    to Save Your Post Office!


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    Jac McCormick in NYC
    Fighting for America's
    Post Offices!
    WATCH THE VIDEO!


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    Tell Staples the U.S. Mail is Not for Sale!
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    Sign the petition to stop the sale of historic post office like Berkeley's Downtown Main!

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    Getting rid of middle class jobs is the end. Privatization is the means. Fox News doesn't keep their agenda a secret. Watch the video.

    [10 on Tuesday] 10 Ways to Fight for Your Local Post Office from PreservationNation

    October 2, 2013 letter from Ralph Nader to Senator Dianne Feinstein

    baha_letter_to_usps.pdf
    File Size: 222 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    sample_letter.docx
    File Size: 15 kb
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