Free P.O. boxes related to street conditions

By Karen Billing

Some Rancho Santa Fe residents with paid post office boxes have questioned why there are others who have free boxes if they have a blue card.

RSF Post Office employee Trinh Le said that the blue cards are for streets that the post office does not deliver to at all because their street is too narrow, dangerous or inaccessible. “Because we are not capable of delivering to those streets, they get a free box,” Le said.

Covenant homes have historically not received mail delivery as post office service was refused in an attempt to keep homes private. Those homeowners must pay a fee for their post office box. There are some homes in Rancho Santa Fe, outside the Covenant, that receive post office deliveries. Le said 58 streets have home delivery, most of them are delivered to cluster boxes at the end of the streets. Of those streets that can receive delivery but are deemed too dangerous for delivery, the blue card is given and a free P.O. box is provided.