Postman Comes Late in Culver City Election

More than a week after the Culver City municipal elections, those cards and letters are still coming in.

A slew of last-minute campaign mailers--cards, letters and flyers--that cost candidates thousands of dollars arrived last week in western Culver City homes, too late to have an effect on the local election.

“That’s our wonderful mail system,” said Richard Brundo, an incumbent councilman defeated on April 12. “I’m very disturbed that the piece I mailed last was not received by voters until after the election.”

Council candidates Steven Gourley, Paul A. Netzel, Ron Perkins and city treasurer candidate Sue A. McCabe also reported late-arriving campaign mail.

Problem Area

The problem seems to center on the area of Culver City west of Sawtelle Boulevard known as “L. A. 66” because of the last two digits of its ZIP code and the strange fact that the area has a Los Angeles mailing address although it is, in fact, located in Culver City, said candidate Ron Perkins, who tried to make poor mail service an issue in the campaign.

Perkins, who placed fifth in the race for three open council seats, estimated that about 20% of his last-minute campaign cards were sent to this area.

The cards with “L. A. 66” addresses were mailed a week before the election, Perkins said. The Culver City cards were mailed three days later, he said, adding that bulk-rate campaign mail is supposed to get first-class priority.

“The Culver City cards arrived the next day. But it took 10 days for the L. A. cards to arrive,” he said. “What effect it had on the outcome is hard to determine because the west area did not have a good turnout. But, yes, it was a waste.”

Culver City Postmaster Dave Quella called the late delivery unusual. “Usually it takes no more than three days,” he said.

The campaign bulk mail with Los Angeles addresses was given red priority tags and sent from Culver City to Inglewood to the Postal Service’s Terminal Annex downtown for distribution to local Los Angeles post offices, Quella said.

The bulk mail with Culver City addresses was kept in Culver City for delivery, he said.

Larry Dozier, a Postal Service communications specialist in Los Angeles, said he does not know what caused the problem, but said he will investigate it.

The Los Angeles addresses in the city’s western area are confusing and cause poor mail delivery and higher insurance rates for businesses and residents there, Perkins said.

“I think it makes them feel kind of detached from the city,” he added.

Mayor Paul Jacobs, who reported no late deliveries of his mail, said the council will address the problems of “L. A. 66.”

“We’ve got to do something,” he said. “The service to those people is totally unacceptable.”