Are you having to go to the post office to pick up your undelivered mail?  You are not alone. Residents from all over Fullerton, and reportedly places as far away as Irvine, are making similar reports.

Cinnamon Ridge, at 1421 N. Gilbert Street, has been without mail delivery since April 14.  Amberwood Condos at 1641 N. Gilbert Street has been without mail delivery for over a month, one Korean resident said at the 1920 W. Commonwealth post office.

An overworked, impatient post office clerk responded to why mail indicated for delivery that day by the Informed Delivery Service email hadn’t been delivered that day, “Your mailbox is broken.” When told that person’s mailbox was not broken, she sarcastically responded: “Okay, you know better than me!”

What the clerk failed to communicate was that the master block of individual apartment mailboxes had been vandalized, and the mail carrier was unable to open it to insert the mail.

Two days later, the same clerk argued with a well-spoken Korean businessman, who said this had also been happening in Irvine for a couple of weeks. He thought it might have something to do with drastic cuts in the federal workforce made by Elon Musk and the DOGE Department. He thought the timing of the problem might have something to do with tax season and refund checks being delivered. An older Korean gentleman ahead of him brought up the Second Amendment and said the country was crumbling.  We needed to do something.

Sarah Tovada, Resident Manager of Cinnamon Ridge, went to the parent company, Arnel Property Management (APM), requesting to review the overhead security camera’s tapes of the mailbox area. They did and furnished her with several security photos of a hooded vandal at the mailboxes. They will be furnished to the Fullerton Police Department. APM has residential properties all over Orange County and will be checking with other Resident Managers and reviewing the security footage if there is a problem there. This problem has occurred at Cinnamon Ridge in the past, and that’s why an overhead security camera was installed.

Tampering with mailboxes is a federal crime and needs the attention of law enforcement to determine how pervasive this problem is and how far it extends.

Normally, Informed Delivery says what mail is coming that day, and if it cannot be delivered, it will be taken back to the post office by the carrier at the end of his shift, available to pick up the following day.

Stephanie Ochoa, Manager of Customer Services at the post office, apologized for the attitude of some of the overworked staff and said, “The community boxes have been vandalized. Therefore, the mail carrier cannot deliver the mail, so the mail is available for pick up.  Because of the amount of mail being brought back, it is very difficult to organize it due to space, and maybe not all mail was located. The boxes are currently being fixed, so mail will be delivered very soon.”

In an additional layer to the postal service’s challenges, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced his resignation after nearly five years, following a controversial tenure marked by significant cost-cutting measures that included eliminating overtime and restricting certain mail deliveries. His departure aligns with ongoing discussions about the potential privatization of the Postal Service, instigated by President Trump and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino will assume DeJoy’s responsibilities on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is appointed. DeJoy’s resignation comes at a critical moment for the Postal Service, with his administration facing increasing scrutiny for actions that led to significant delays, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened demand for mail-in voting during the 2020 presidential election. His controversial leadership leaves uncertainty surrounding the Postal Service’s future as it navigates operational challenges and potential restructuring.