Proposal would continue postal pest searches

Yuba County's agriculture commissioner is working on a proposal to continue inspecting mail headed to the Mid-Valley area for invasive pests when mail sorting fully shifts to a West Sacramento site later this year.

Commissioner Louie Mendoza said the plan could also involve his counterpart in Sutter County, and would benefit eight counties where agricultural operations want to keep out such pests.

"We understand the restrictions they have on processing mail," Mendoza said, adding the U.S. Postal Service approached the county about continuing the inspections after local officials objected to moving mail sorting from an Olivehurst site partly because of the inability to continue inspections.

"The one thing we don't want to do is impact their processes," Mendoza said.

USPS spokesman Gus Ruiz said county agricultural commissioners like Mendoza will make a presentation to the postal service on Friday on how such inspections could work.

On a daily basis, officials from Mendoza's office have examined packages at the Olivehurst site for possible invasive pests. The number searched can range from a handful to as many 100 during busy times of year, Mendoza said, and annually inspectors reject about 30 mail items because of improper labeling or paperwork that suggests a possible pest contamination.

In West Sacramento, however, the Yolo County agricultural commissioner's office hasn't done inspections for a couple years because of budget cuts, said Commissioner John Young.

Yolo County got the money for those inspections from the state Department of Agriculture, he said, but the state's budget woes eliminated the funding.

Still, he said he's optimistic a combination of help from other counties' agricultural inspectors, such as Yuba and Sutter, and perhaps the state help can restart them.

While he and other commissioners are still forming a proposal to present to the postal service, Mendoza said it's possible the inspections will still be daily, though less often might be more practical.

Logistically, Young said, there's another hurdle to clear: Postal officials have indicated the inspections would have to take place between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

Young pointed out it wouldn't make sense for a county inspector to do such inspections then as part of a normal work shift.

"Right now, I have more questions than answers," he said.

Ideally, Young said, the USPS would also allow a dog inspection team, but so far they've resisted that as well.

Ruiz said the postal service is open to agricultural inspections, but within what the service can accommodate.

"We cannot afford to delay any mail for these inspections," he said.

If the inspections resume at West Sacramento, they'd cover mail headed for Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Sierra, Plumas and Nevada counties, in addition to Yuba and Sutter.

Mendoza said continuing the inspections in another county would be a nod to reality for Yuba County officials, who vigorously contested closing the Olivehurst site.

"The postal service made a business decision," he said. "This is something we just have to live with."

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@ appealdemocrat.com.