Annexation to Modesto = the end of Salida's Post Office

Let's begin with a conversation that occurred in September 2011. I was in Springfield, Illinois for a conference when a nicely dressed man struck up a conversation with me. He was in Illinois on business and his business was that he worked for the U.S. Postal Service. His job was to close post offices in small towns.

I said to him, "I live in a small town in California." To which he asked, "How far are you from the next largest cities' post office?" Thinking of Modesto's Kearney post office, "About five miles", I replied. To my utter shock, he stated quite confidently, "Then your post office will be closed." 

"WHAT?!? I DIDN'T EVEN TELL YOU WHERE I LIVE!!!" I was horror struck and my mind raced trying to predict when this Grim Reaper of the U.S. Postal Service would reach California.

Salida, California's Post Office

One of the first things I did upon my return to California was go to the Salida Post Office and tell the clerk that the USPS Grim Reaper was on his way to close our post office.

The clerk did her best to reassure me that the Salida Post Office wouldn't be closed because its very profitable. 

She did help alleviate my fears...until now. 

In the time that I've researched the annexation issue, it never occurred to me that a potential casualty of annexation to Modesto would be our little hometown post office. Yet that may come to pass if Modesto succeeds in annexing Salida.

According to our Salida Postmaster, John Cabral, the other post offices in Modesto are also profitable. So if Salida were annexed, there wouldn't be reason to keep the Salida Post Office open. Salida would be serviced by the Paradise Road post office. 

January 2013

I would imagine that most Salidans would be upset about our post office being closed and having to go to the Paradise Road post office for services. Not to mention, many Salidans know our postal workers and mail carriers on a first name basis. I know I'm not alone in appreciating our Salida postal workers when spotting things like this bag of fruit left atop a nearby mailbox which says "Happy New Year Mail Lady".
Its bad enough that the recent cessation of Saturday mail delivery will result in the loss of thousands of jobs, and Salida doesn't need the further hit of losing our post office too. Salida's post office has served our community since 1875. Saving Salida's post office is just one more reason to tell Modesto "NO SALIDA ANNEX"!