Updated with comment from Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto and Gov. Lombardo.
Despite intense pressure from Nevada’s congressional delegation and local officials, the U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday it is going ahead with plans to move Reno’s mail-processing operations to Sacramento.
When the transition is complete, a letter sent from one Reno resident to another will go to California first.
“As part of a $40 billion investment strategy to upgrade and improve the postal processing, transportation, and delivery networks, the United States Postal Service announced its plan to modernize mail operations at its Reno Processing and Distribution Center in Reno, NV,” USPS said in a news release.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, said it’s not a done deal in her mind.
“Let me be absolutely clear: this fight is not over,” she said in a statement. “As a member of the committee with jurisdiction over the Postal Service, I will continue to fight against this ill-advised decision and explore all available options to prevent it from being implemented.”
Reno’s Vassar Street postal facility will be converted from a processing and distribution center to what USPS calls a local processing center.
A processing and distribution center handles incoming mail from a specific geographic area and sorts it for distribution to its final destination. A local processing center distributes mail to individual post offices.
This will affect all mail sent in Northern Nevada and part of the Lake Tahoe area.
USPS said the California move is justified from a business perspective because a majority of Northern Nevada mail is destined for outside the Reno area and thus more efficiently handled at its West Sacramento facility.
In a recent congressional hearing, it was said that the move would begin in earnest in January, after the 2024 general election.
“Consolidating plant operations will allow the Reno LPC to be co-located with a Sorting and Delivery Center,” the news release said. “These facilities will allow the Postal Service to provide faster and more reliable mail and package delivery over a greater geographic area.”
Nevada’s U.S. Sens. Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei, Gov. Joe Lombardo, the Washoe County Commission and others have all pleaded with USPS not to make the move.
Last week, Rosen grilled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about the Reno plans, which would lead to slower mail service for 10% of Northern Nevada residents.
“I am outraged that out-of-touch Washington bureaucrats think they know what’s best for our state, and have decided to move forward with this misguided plan to move mail processing operations to Sacramento,” she said Tuesday.
“As Nevadans have made clear all along, this decision will impact hardworking families and small businesses that rely on timely mail delivery.”
Cortez Masto also spoke out against the USPS announcement.
“The USPS’s decision to move Reno’s mail processing operations to California in 2025 is a mistake that will hurt Nevada,” she said in a statement. “I’ll keep doing everything I can to protect Nevada jobs and ensure that Nevadans can get their mail on time.”
Gov. Lombardo said that his administration has worked closely with Nevada’s federal delegation and voiced extensive concerns over changes to the Vassar Street postal facility.
“We will continue to fight against mismanagement in Washington for timely and efficient mail services for Nevadans,” he said.
USPS said it took into account feedback about the plans.
“The announcement comes following a thorough business review and solicitation of public feedback on the facility’s future,” the USPS news release said.
No “career employees” will be laid off, USPS added, although it’s unclear how many contract workers will be affected.
“Once changes are implemented, Business Mail Entry, Post Office, station, and branch retail services are not expected to change, and delivery services will be enhanced,” the news release said.
“After the Reno facility is converted to an LPC, it is anticipated that it will be able to mail and ship packages, manual letters and flats. The LPC is also anticipated to offer express services and accept bulk and permit mail.”
More:What we know about USPS plans to move Reno mail processing to Sacramento
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.
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