Maybe Just Call It by Its ZIP Code

Taking control of one’s destiny is exhilarating for any new city, to be followed sometime thereafter by the certain headaches of governance. The cold light of day has arrived oh-so quickly for El Toro in Orange County, which voted last week to become Lake Forest at the end of the year.

Advocates of incorporation were so caught up in the drive for independence that they didn’t give much thought to a companion measure that squeaked by. The result was that the new city will be called Lake Forest, after an existing planned community. Even among those who prefer the tonier new name to the old one--which is associated today with a Marine base and a wonderful story of a padre’s prayer to stop a charging bull--there’s a residual feeling that local institutions, like schools, just shouldn’t change appellation.

And there is the new postal address, a dilemma that could turn any toast to local control into a glass of flat champagne. The U.S. Postal Service has taken matters under advisement because there’s another Lake Forest in Northern California. But, since Lake Forest (South) is incorporated, and Lake Forest (North) is not, the new city has a legitimate- enough claim. The resolution may lie in addressing mail as described, and more important, heeding the Postal Service’s advice on ZIP codes. It says that even those who stand by El Toro will have mail delivered, if the digits are right. (It’s 92630).

Moral of the story: Have all the local say you like, but Uncle Sam is watching how your numbers come in.