Is Post Office Closure a Done Deal?

Asked if Santa Monica has a fighting chance in appealing the closure of its historic, New Deal-era post office, an agency spokesman said "every customer comment is considered" but must be weighed against the Postal Service being on "the brink of insolvency."

To his knowledge, spokesman Richard Maher said he wasn't aware of any case where a decision has been overturned on appeal.

"However we have to take into account that only recently has USPS has been forced to pursue the relocation of services and sale of buildings, so there is not a long history to draw upon,” Maher wrote in an email.

When the financially strapped Postal Service , residents were dismayed. They were given 15 days to appeal the decision, and while the City Council, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Santa Monica) and neighborhood associations said they intend to file appeals, others have suggested it would be useless.

“No use begging or pleading it’s a done deal,” former City Councilman Eddie Greenberg posted Aug. 17.

The plan is to relocate the Fifth Street services less than one mile away to an annex facility near the Big Blue Bus yard at 7th Street and Olympic Boulevard. The historic property would be put up for sale.

City Councilwoman Gleam Davis said she couldn't speak to the odds of having the Postal Service reverse its decision.

"But I am confident that we have strong arguments to make," she said.

Davis said she believes Waxman's promise to appeal the decision will bolster the chances of keeping the statuesque building open. A spokeswoman for Waxman’s office dodged questions about whether the congresswoman is concerned with the odds of USPS reversing its decision.

Waxman's position is that closing the iconic building will do little to fix the Postal Service's finances.

"The entire city relies on the Santa Monica Post Office to mail packages, buy stamps, and rent post office boxes," he wrote in a statement. "It is as much a part of the community as Palisades Park, Santa Monica Pier, and City Hall.”

The . They believe the agency is underestimating the number of customers who would turn to the Internet and other mail carriers if the centrally located post office at Fifth and Arizona streets were no longer an option.

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