Oak Park’s Request for Its Own ZIP Code Is Rejected : Mail: Beilenson and VanderKolk appeal the decision. But the U. S. Postal Service says it is not likely to reverse its position.

The U. S. Postal Service has rejected Oak Park’s request for its own ZIP code, despite insistence by residents of the affluent community that sharing a ZIP code with part of Los Angeles County costs them money.

Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills) announced Friday that postal officials in Washington, D. C., denied a request he made with Supervisor Maria VanderKolk on behalf of Oak Park residents.

Oak Park has long shared a ZIP code with the Los Angeles County city of Agoura Hills, even though the unincorporated community of nearly 15,000 lies entirely within the boundaries of Ventura County.

Residents say that means they must continuously battle with insurance agents, sales clerks and mail-order companies who try to charge them Los Angeles County rates instead of cheaper Ventura County rates.

“This costs the county revenues too,” said Kent Behringer, a member of Oak Park’s Municipal Advisory Council.

Residents say many mail-order companies, judging Oak Park addresses by their ZIP codes, automatically send sales taxes to Los Angeles County, instead of Ventura County. Even the state Department of Motor Vehicles has assumed Oak Park car owners live in Los Angeles, residents say, and improperly divert registration fees to Los Angeles County.

“It may not amount to a few million dollars over time,” Behringer said. “But if you put all the revenues together it would amount to a tidy little sum that probably could have been used to keep our library going or something.”

Although residents acknowledge their concern is largely financial, they also say having their own ZIP code would help establish a sense of identity for the unincorporated community.

The original request was approved at both local and regional postal authorities before being rejected by officials at the U. S. Postal Service’s national headquarters in Washington.

Beilenson and VanderKolk have already sent a letter of appeal to the post office, citing loss of revenue to Ventura County as well as confusion and potential overcharges to Oak Park residents as reasons for the request.

“We’re of course very concerned and disappointed,” said Beilenson aide Diane Kinzer Brown. “So we’ve appealed it immediately.”

But Postal Service spokeswoman Terri Bouffiou said the same officials who just rejected the plea will review the appeal as well, and that they aren’t likely to change their minds. “I think they are going to review it and say there are no different circumstances from the first appeal so they will reject it again,” Bouffiou said.

Officials in the Postal Service’s Van Nuys office also filed an appeal for Oak Park, she said, which has already been rejected.

“On a local level we supported their request and we see their point,” Bouffiou said. “It would be nice if we could grant each request.”

But she said the post office had ruled against Oak Park because they base such decisions solely on the volume of mail going into a community.

“ZIP codes are for efficient sorting of the mail,” Bouffiou said. “They can’t be assigned on the basis of a community wanting them, because if they were we would quickly run out of them.”

Oak Park resident David Ross, who has been asking for a separate ZIP code for the community for years, said he was frustrated and disappointed by the decision.

“I have a feeling that their rejection was based on not really understanding the issues,” Ross said. “If they need letters or testimonials or anything I would be more than happy to participate.”

The rejection states it was “based on the fact that the current ZIP code adequately meets the need of the community involved. Additionally the growth projections in the request package did not indicate a need for an additional ZIP code at this time or in the near future.”

Beilenson aide Brown said she believed the post office should have responded to specific financial concerns mentioned in Beilenson and VanderKolk’s first letter.

“They did not address any of the issues we brought up,” Brown said. “We still feel this request is reasonable.”

Oak Park ZIP code advocates say they have made at least one gain in their quest; more residents now know to check sales receipts and mail-order invoices, and question their insurance companies about their rates. And the fight, they say, is not over yet.

“We won’t forget about it,” Behringer said. “At least we made it to Washington this time.”