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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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Judge Alsup Holds Postal Service to their Word

5/1/2015

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U.S. District Judge William Alsup

Retains Jurisdiction until April 16, 2020

SAN FRANCISCO, CA: On Thursday, April 16, 2015, U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued a further order on the case involving the efforts by the U.S. Postal Service to sell Berkeley's historic Main Post Office at 2000 Allston Way.

As a follow-up to the order dismissing the case as moot,
Judge Alsup has retained jurisdiction until April 16, 2020 to enforce the requirement that the U.S. Postal Service provides the City of Berkeley and the National Trust for Historic Preservation with a 42-day notice in advance of the closing of any future sale of the building or of any final determination to relocate services.

Since supporters of the Berkeley Post Office are cautious in relying on statements made by the U.S. Postal Service, Alsup's order was very welcome news.

Click here to view the April 16th order.
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What's Next for Berkeley's Main Post Office

5/1/2015

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A New Phase in the Fight to Save Our Post Office

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Window in disrepair at Berkeley's landmarked Main Post Office. Photo credit: Kristopher Skinner/ Bay Area News Group
Berkeley made history by going to court and stopping the Postal Service from selling our Downtown Post Office. Our community's work isn’t over—the Postal Service may try again to sell the building. We need to get full postal services back. And the Postal Service must restore the building to the good physical condition that it deserves.

Return Services and Save Money
As part of the “relocation” process Berkeley residents who live near the Main Post Office and miss a package delivery now have to go to the station on San Pablo. This is inconvenient and wastes their time and (sometimes) fuel.  Downtown Berkeley needs a bulk mail drop off. Traveling out to Eighth Street is a waste of time for downtown businesses and organizations.  The wait time at the service windows often exceeds thirty minutes.

Bring the Carriers Back
At the hearing in September of 2012, the Postal Service presentation showed that moving carriers out of the Main Post Office would result in additional labor costs of $106,000 each year and additional transportation costs of $36,000 each year. If the Postal Service had moved out of the building, these costs would have been offset by reduced maintenance and utility costs. But the Postal Service is staying, so save money and bring the carriers back.
September 2012 USPS Presentation (excerpt)

Hey USPS! Release the Structural Report!

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Berkeley wrote a check to the USPS for $847.55 to cover clerical and copying costs back in December. But the Postal Service still won't release the documents.
Back when Hudson McDonald was in contract to buy 2000 Allston Way, they commissioned a structural report. Hudson McDonald was contractually required to provide a copy to the Postal Service and also bound to confidentiality. The Postal Service refuses to release the report. We use the building. We have a right to know its condition.

Click for a copy of the court record.
The record shows how the Postal Service stonewalled the requests from Berkeley and our City Attorney, Zach Cowan.

Excess Space? Lease it out.

We understand that 2000 Allston Way has more space than the Postal Service is currently able to efficiently use. The Postal Service’s Inspector General is currently assessing how the Postal Service can make the most efficient use of unused space. We believe that in seeking tenants for unused space at 2000 Allston Way, the Postal Service should select tenants who are able to both provide income to the Postal Service and to honor and enhance the public function of the building.

An analysis by the Inspector General found that offering increased financial services (Postal Banking) will increase Postal Service revenue. 2000 Allston Way is a superb location for a Postal Banking pilot program.

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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
    File Type: docx
    Download File


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