ZIP code grief counselors may soon be needed
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Everyone in Thousand Oaks may get a new address next year if postal officials get their way and the city's ZIP codes are changed.

The decision as to whether 91320, 91360, 91361 and 91362 will cease to exist is expected to be announced in January.

Exactly 57,941 delivery stops- that is, all of the stops in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park- will be affected if, instead of going to Santa Clarita as it currently does, local mail is sent to Oxnard for processing. That's what district postal officials are requesting, said U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Richard Maher.

"The first three digits indicate where the mail is processed. The last two digits are the part of the city," Maher explained.

Santa Clarita's district is 913. Oxnard's is 930.

No one should try to anticipate their new ZIP code and order items such as stationery, checks or business cards until the change is officially announced, Maher warned.

The change must still be approved by Postal Service headquarters. If that happens on the first of the year as expected, new codes will be made official in July 2008. The speedy processing machines that sort more than 30,000 letters an hour will be programmed to recognize old and new ZIP codes for the first year.

It is hoped that mail will be delivered earlier in the day in Thousand Oaks if processed in Oxnard since the plant is 25 miles closer, Maher said.

Another reason for the change is the savings on the cost of transportation. Mail from Thousand Oaks to addresses within the city now must be trucked all the way to Santa Clarita and back. If the switch is approved, mail would just go to Oxnard and back.

Likewise, mail from Los Angeles International Airport would only have to go past Thousand Oaks to Oxnard and back to Thousand Oaks instead of up to Santa Clarita, Maher said.

Residents don't have to worry too much about junk mail or bills not finding them. Businesses use a database that will probably automatically notify them of a change. Magazines are also likely to find their way, he said.

It will be Aunt Madge or Cousin Billy, people who only write every once in a while, and other personal correspondence that might be delayed.

"ZIP code changes for logistical reasons are not something that happens all the time," Maher said.

Usually a new ZIP code is created because of growth in an area. Annually, the post office adds about 2 million addresses nationwide, he said.