Editordude: Our good friend and OBcean Judy Miller had a letter to the editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune printed the other day about the mailboxes in front of the OB Post Office — and it’s quite shocking actually. Here it is:
OB Post Office changes seen as unhelpful and dangerous
After 5 p.m., you can no longer mail a letter at the Ocean Beach Post Office. Outside, there used to be four mailboxes, accessible 24/7, but now there is only one, a strange-looking potbellied creature that is padlocked after 5 p.m.
Even worse, this new mailbox can be accessed only from the street side, which is dangerous for pedestrians: You must step off the curb, into the street, to use the only mail slot This is fine for vehicles, but unsafe for people on foot
The USPS should bringback the old mailboxes, which had safe access, 24/7, from both street and sidewalk.
— Judy Miller, San Diego
First, thank you Judy for bringing it all to our attention. Plus, we have to ask, are these missing mailboxes victims of the government shut-down — or are they victims of the DOGE-like cutbacks to the federal post office system? This new arrangement does not make any sense.
This is unbelievable! I know mail volume has gone down but this is ridiculous. Can’t post a letter after 5pm and only from the street side!!?? We have ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos. Somebody needs to complain to the PO staff (I’m sure it wasn’t their decision.)
Mail for people has become a luxury. It is for corporations to send purchases to people. My aunt used to knit sweaters for me and mail them to me. This was not unusual. How long has it been since you got a package from a person? A letters instead of a text? Even email is growing out of favor. How many people cannot read cursive? It’s a new world.
Agreed. I encountered this problem the other day. The front door is locked during these hours as well. I was taught to mail things from a post office as there’s less chance of a loss and I could not believe I could not mail a letter from the OB post office unless it was open. I knew there was a blue box on Santa Barbara and Newport so I walked there to mail the letter.