COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Arcadia Requests Voluntary Evacuations, Declares Local Emergency P2
Evacuation Warning in Place for Monrovia Residents in Foothill Area Below Bobcat Fire P4
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Go to TempleCityTribune.com for Temple City Specific News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 - SEPTEMBER 16, 2020
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VOL. 11, NO. 36
USPS Delivery Delays Deepen Concerns About Mail-In Voting Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
“S
ave our USPS” reads a handwritten sign outside Monrovia’s post office. The postal service, continuously ranked as the “most trusted” agency by Americans, is not only under siege by the massive use of email and other disruptions that have cut into the postal service’s vast and highly sophisticated delivery system, but by changes instituted by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy The USPS, which does not get taxpayer money, relies on selling stamps and related mailing essentials to survive. It is a critical lifeline for every resident in the United States, particularly for those citizens who rely on it for just about everything from prescription drug delivery to social security checks, among other things. Now, as the election draws near, President Trump and DeJoy have shaken up the entire organization’s spirit. DeJoy’s assignment drew considerable criticism after he eliminated overtime, removed sorting machines and made other changes at the U.S.P.S. In response, several states, including California, filed lawsuits SEE MAIL-IN VOTING PAGE 3
Every morning, mail carriers all over the US prepare for the day’s deliveries. – Photo by Terry Miller/Beacon Media News
A Salute to the USPS and Its Employees May S. RUIZ MayChu@att.net
B
enjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general in 1775 but it wasn’t until the passage of the Postal Service Act in 1792 that the post office department was created. In 1970, it became what we now know as the United States Postal Service (USPS). For all the noble intentions its creation intended, the USPS has seen its share of
negative press and not by its own doing. In 1986, a series of incidents involving postal workers killing mangers, fellow workers, and police officers originated the derogatory expression “going postal.” Since then, anyone having a meltdown is described as “going postal.” Public officials have consistently lamented about the USPS’s inefficiency and its deplorable fiscal state; there have been ongoing discussions about privatizing it. It is SEE SALUTE PAGE 3
Bobcat Fire Grows and Evacuation Warnings Expand The Unified Incident Command of the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Monrovia Fire Department and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department directed the residents of Duarte, Bradbury, Monrovia, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and Altadena below the Bobcat Fire to prepare to evacuate, as the fire continued to grow rapidly Tuesday night. The evacuation warnings were still in place Wednesday morning as the fire grew to 11,456 acres and remained at 0% containment.
On Monday night, officials for Monrovia issued evacuation warnings for residents living in the foothills below the Bobcat Fire. Officials said that if an evacuation order is issued, the City of Monrovia will coordinate evacuations in two phases. The first phase will include all residents north of Hillcrest Boulevard and Greystone Avenue. The second phases will include residents living between Hillcrest Boulevard and Greystone SEE BOBCAT FIRE PAGE 4