Return to sender: Postal delays still delivered
WASHINGTON, D.C. — With residents in pockets of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles still experiencing delays in mail deliveries, Congressman Henry Waxman, (D- Los Angeles), has called on the inspector general of the United States Postal Service to conduct an investigation and come up with short-term and long-lasting solutions to rectify poor mail service.
Waxman, the highest-ranking minority member on the Committee on Government Reform, has been pressuring the highest-ranking members of the USPS to investigate since last fall, when dozens of constituents compiled complaints and forwarded them to the congressman. Shortly after that, Waxman held face-to-face meetings with Postmaster General John E. Potter, at which time complaints from constituents were handed over to Potter, making him aware of problems specific to Santa Monica.
On Aug. 3, Waxman made an official request to Inspector General David Williams, who conducts audits and tracks the accuracy of postal employees for the postmaster general.
“For some time now, constituents in my congressional district and surrounding districts have complained of receiving first-class letters and magazines late,” Waxman wrote in the letter. “Often, constituents have complained of receiving no mail at all. In December 2005, I wrote to the postmaster general to report these issues, but unfortunately, my constituents continue to report poor service.
“I have not seen consistent improvements in my congressional district,” Waxman added. “In fact, recent reports from my constituents have included receipt of mail as much as 14 days after their post mark.”
In a mail delivery report dated May 4, first-class mail was delivered six days after it should have been processed. That report also showed standard mail being delivered eight days late.
The problem was supposed to have been solved with the hiring of more postal employees to help sort the mail and get it to carriers quicker so deliveries are made before residents get home from work.
Larry Dozier, a spokesman for the USPS, said the consolidation of post offices in Santa Monica, along with the hiring of more employees and the realignment of mail routes, has “almost eliminated complaints,” which have dropped from 25 a day in January to three our four a day, the average.
“The conditions (Waxman) is referring to are old and have since been corrected as far as Santa Monica goes,” Dozier said. “There have been some personnel issues with a particular route (in Santa Monica) and that is being addressed. I cannot go into detail because it is a personnel matter.”
Dozier said the main distribution center in South Los Angeles sifts through roughly 6 million pieces of mail daily at a rate of 36,000 letters per hour, up from nearly 5 million letters sorted daily before the Marina Del Rey center was closed. Dozier said the closing of that facility has nothing to do with the delays, but rather staffing shortages that have now been resolved.
Try telling that to Sunset Park resident Rachel Kadar, a part-time teacher who has resorted to digging in a trash bin to find her mail after it has been discarded by other tenants in her apartment complex. Kadar said there is a basket on the steps of her apartment that is overflowing with mail that has been delivered to the wrong address. Some of the letters are for residents who do not live in the apartment complex.
“I’ve never had problems with mail before until I moved here,” Kadar said. “I’ve missed letters, credit card bills, and I still haven’t received a paycheck from my last teaching job, and that was over a month ago.”
Kadar said the problem started shortly after she moved into her apartment in December of 2004. She put a hold on her mail while she went out of town. When she returned, she found her mailbox bursting, with some of her mail left on top where anyone could steal it. That included her credit card statement.
“Now I have to worry about someone out there possibly using my information to commit fraud,” Kadar said. “This whole ordeal has been very stressful and it seems like no matter what I do, nothing happens. I’ve called the post office several times and nothing is done.”
A spokesperson with the inspector general’s office said they have received Waxman’s request and are conducting a review of operations. There was nothing to report as of Friday afternoon, the spokesperson said.
Waxman is calling for employees to be interviewed and that the inspector general conduct a complete efficiency review of the facilities, including a review of internal controls and computer-generated data, to determine the integrity and reliability of those systems.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 19, 2006. Read the original PDF.