Spreckels, CA – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced that, following his persistent advocacy, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has agreed to restore full operating hours at the Spreckels Post Office. The decision comes after community members of Spreckels raised concerns about the reduced hours, which limited their access to postal services, to Rep. Panetta. Soon after, Rep. Panetta acted and put the necessary pressure on the USPS to change back the hours at the Spreckels Post Office. On December 2nd, the Spreckels Post Office will return to its original hours of operation, providing retail services from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and maintaining weekend access for P.O. box customers.
In September, the USPS reduced retail service hours at the Spreckels Post Office from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sparking widespread concern from residents who rely on the facility for their mail and packages. Residents of Spreckels then reached out to Rep. Panetta, citing the burden of traveling to Salinas for parcel pickups and the impact on their routines.
Rep. Panetta responded by organizing a community meeting and keeping the pressure on USPS to restore the original hours, clarify its commitment to keeping the Spreckels branch open, and address additional concerns, including the installation of a new flagpole, and improved accessibility to mail services. Rep. Panetta’s advocacy resulted in the restoration of post office hours, installation of a new flag pool, new package lockers, and P.O. box fixes.
“When the USPS suddenly changed the operating hours for the post office in Spreckels, it severely impacted the lives of the residents who rely on that postal service as a pillar of their community,” said Rep. Panetta. “I commend the residents of Spreckels for organizing, speaking up, and contacting me about their post office’s reduced hours and its detrimental effects on their daily routines. By meeting and listening to the residents as their federal representative, I then was able to fight to ensure that the USPS did the right thing, restore the hours to the Spreckels Post Office, and rejuvenate residents’ trust in our federal government.”
As the holiday season approaches, the restored hours ensure residents have reliable and convenient access to postal services during this critical time of year. In 2022, the USPS processed nearly 8 billion packages throughout the season.
