Congressional Opposition to USPS Plan to Transfer Mail Operations from Reno to Sacramento

Representative Mark Amodei and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen have issued a letter of opposition to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy against a proposed plan by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to relocate mail operations from Reno to Sacramento.

The decision follows concerns voiced by various organizations, including a unanimous vote against the move by the Washoe County Commissioners earlier this week. Additionally, Washoe County Interim Registrar Cari-Ann Burgess expressed apprehensions, particularly regarding the potential impact on the upcoming general election’s mail-in ballots.

Last week, Burgess spoke of being worried about the move’s implications for election integrity. She cautioned that the transfer of mail processing operations to California could severely disrupt the electoral process, urging voters to consider alternative methods of ballot submission.

The bipartisan delegation’s letter underscores the significant repercussions on mail service reliability, local economies, and employment prospects within the community. Moreover, it criticizes the USPS for its lack of transparency in the decision-making process, citing the absence of substantial data and analysis regarding the local ramifications of the relocation.

The USPS’s Initial Finding of its Mail Processing Facility Review for the Reno P&DC, released on Tuesday, February 6, outlined plans to downsize the facility to a Local Processing Center (LPC) and transfer outgoing mail operations to Sacramento. However, the document failed to furnish adequate justification or detailed assessments of the proposed changes.

Of particular concern are the potential delays in mail delivery, especially for the over 220,000 Nevada veterans reliant on mail-order prescriptions. Furthermore, the delegation highlights the adverse impact of winter weather conditions between Reno and Sacramento on meeting USPS’s two-day mail delivery standard.

The officials echo Burgess’s apprehensions regarding mail-in voting, emphasizing the logistical challenges of routing ballots out of state before returning them to Northern Nevada. Washoe County Commissioner Mike Clark denounced the USPS’s decision as ill-timed and lacking sufficient public engagement, drawing parallels to a previous unsuccessful attempt.

Meanwhile, a winter storm is hitting the Sierra Nevada with up to 10 feet of snow, causing crashes over Donner Pass, forcing roadway closures, and stalled traffic as chains are required, with blizzard warnings in effect through Sunday, March 3.