Long-term staffing problems at East Oakland’s postal facilities have caused delivery delays and confusion over the past several months. Residents are concerned about missing time-sensitive goods and documents, including medicines and legal and financial materials.
And many are worried that mail delivery problems might affect the election. Some residents told us they didn’t get their ballots until last week. The registrar originally started mailing ballots to voters on Oct. 10.
“We are currently experiencing some delays of mail related to low employee availability,” Kristina Uppal, spokesperson for the United States Postal Service’s Northern California office, told The Oaklandside. “We are utilizing all available resources currently, including bringing in carriers from outside the area to move the mail and meet our commitments.”
The U.S. Postal Service says delivering ballots and official voter guides is its highest priority, and recently the USPS reassigned 12 postal workers from Southern California to Oakland to help sort through mail and make deliveries.
