Yuba County Supervisor Jon Messick (left) speaks during a community post office meeting held July 29 at the Loma Rica Church, joined by local organizer Jackie Spencer, and Golden Eagle Market staff Georgia Williamson and Angela Rubol, who helped operate the now-closed postal unit.

LOMA RICA, CA (MPG) - Residents of Loma Rica gathered for an old-fashioned town hall meeting at the Loma Rica Community Church on Tuesday, July 29, to voice concerns over the abrupt closure of their local post office, a closure they say happened with little to no communication from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

The Contract Postal Unit (CPU), formerly operating out of the Golden Eagle Market at 11269 Loma Rica Rd., quietly shut down earlier this year after more than 20 years of service. The closure has left local residents, especially seniors and those without reliable transportation, with limited options for sending or receiving mail, forcing many to make a 40-mile round trip to Marysville or travel to other rural outposts in Dobbins or Browns Valley.

The Golden Eagle Market’s owner, Gurnam Sandhers, said the situation unfolded after he reviewed the store's agreements upon taking ownership last year.

Loma Rica residents filled the room at Loma Rica Church on July 29 to discuss the loss of their local post office and to organize efforts to reestablish mail services in their rural foothill community.

“There was no contract and they were only paying $1,223 a month,” Sandhers said. “My employees were running the post office, tracking inventory, and sending all the proceeds back to USPS.” He noted that since taking over the market, he had not received any payments from USPS.

“I couldn’t get a response for two months,” Sandhers said. “Then they said, ‘We can close it down.’ There was no other word. I didn’t think that was right.”

Sandhers said his employees, including longtime manager Georgia Williamson and clerk Angela Roubal, were stretched thin trying to manage both store and postal responsibilities.

“I was essentially the postmaster for 25 years,” said Williamson. “I asked if I could get training so I could teach my girls, and they told me no. They said I had to go online and learn everything.”

With limited compensation and no renewed agreement, Sandhers said he couldn't justify dedicating staff to run the post office full time.

“My employees can’t do anything else besides the post office,” Sandhers said. “I told them [USPS] they needed to help me out.”

According to Sandhers, attempts to negotiate a new contract stalled, and in January the post office abruptly shut down, leaving customers blindsided.

“I showed up, and all of a sudden, the post office wasn’t available anymore. I had to get a new post box,” said resident Yvonne Spiers. “A heads-up would have been nice. We didn’t get the notice in the mail until two weeks later.”

Loma Rica Market owner Gurnam Sandhers (far right) addresses concerned residents during the July 29 post office meeting at Loma Rica Church, explaining how attempts to renew the USPS contract were unsuccessful and ultimately led to the unexpected closure.

An Issue of Equity and Accessibility

For elderly residents and those without transportation, the lack of a local postal facility has created logistical hardships. Business owners say the closure has disrupted day-to-day operations, and those who had post office boxes now face the headache of updating their mailing information across all accounts.

“We’re bigger economically than Browns Valley and Dobbins,” said Jackie Spencer, one of the meeting’s key organizers. “I don’t understand why they can have a post office and we can’t. I’m very concerned for our older residents.”

Yuba County Supervisor Jon Messick, who represents District 5, told attendees that he and Supervisor Gary Bradford have formed an ad hoc committee to develop a county-wide plan which included zip code rezoning and a post office for Loma Rica.

“We’re coming up with a plan for Yuba County and what we’d like to see,” said Messick. “Then we’re going to submit that to the postal service.”

Currently, Marysville’s 95901 zip code spans over 200 square miles, from Olivehurst in the south to Bangor and Loma Rica in the north. This large coverage area has led to package delivery issues and even complications for emergency response services trying to locate rural addresses. Messick acknowledged that changing or reassigning zip codes may introduce challenges, including potential impacts to insurance rates and the administrative burden of updating all personal and financial records. Still, he urged residents to unify around the issue.

The Golden Eagle Market in Loma Rica, formerly home to the community’s Contract Postal Unit, was left without postal services earlier this year following a lapse in agreement with the U.S. Postal Service.

“We need to push this county-wide,” said Messick. “We’ll have more success if we get both of our congressmen involved.”

Spencer, who has already gathered a sizable number of petition signatures, is encouraging residents to write letters describing how a post office benefits them. She is also exploring the possibility of applying for a new CPU permit or advocating for a permanent USPS location in Loma Rica. Those interested in helping can contact Spencer at 530-749-2094 or [email protected].

There were rumors that limited postal services may still be available at the nearby Shop N Save Market, located at 11400 Loma Rica Road, but those reports remain unconfirmed. Many residents expressed skepticism about whether that site could meet the community’s full needs and instead voiced support for reestablishing services at the original Golden Eagle Market location.

“I can’t believe, as a taxpayer, I’m saying this,” one anonymous attendee said. “But if you’re going to talk to politicians, remind them that the post office is not a business, it’s a government service. All citizens should receive equal access. Fundamentally, what we’re talking about is the government eliminating services to some citizens and not others.”