State Legislature Opposes Sale of Berkeley Post Office

The state Legislature Tuesday approved a resolution asking the U.S. Postal Service to rescind its plan to sell the downtown Berkeley Post Office.

The grand building with large columns and arches is a city landmark and one of the defining buildings of Berkeley's downtown. The City Council voted against the sale, and Mayor Tom Bates has helped organize a campaign with other cities to save their  traditional post office buildings.

The Postal Service has been selling its large old post offices and transferring its dwindling operations to smaller spaces as a way to reduce its financial losses.

The Legislative resolution, sponsored by state Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, says the proposed sale "has met with overwhelming public opposition." Hancock and Skinner represent Berkeley in Sacramento.

Hancock's office issued this statement Tuesday about the resolution:

LEGISLATURE PASSES MEASURE URGING POSTAL SERVICE TO RESCIND SALE OF BERKELEY POST OFFICE 

(Sacramento) – Today, the California State Legislature took an unusual step by passing a measure that urges the United State Postal Service (USPS) to rescind its proposal to sell the Berkeley Main Post Office building, located at 2000 Allston Way. 

Senate Joint Resolution 12, authored by Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, was initiated after the USPS unilaterally decided to relocate and sell the historic building that is located in the heart of Downtown Berkeley. 

Built in 1914, the Berkeley Main Post Office has many significant historical features, including 2 Works Progress Administration murals, a designation as a City of Berkeley Landmark (1980), a listing on the National Register of Historic Places (1980), and a listing on the National Register as a significant contributor to Berkeley’s Civic Center Historic District (1998).  

Unfortunately, the USPS continues to move forward with the sale despite the City of Berkeley’s requests to suspend efforts for one year to allow the City and USPS to work together to find an alternative solution.  Those efforts would put a historic building up for sale and close down a post office that serves over 100,000 people a year at its central downtown location, less than one block from one of the Bay Area’s major transit hubs.

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