The drive for the community of Rossmoor to get its own mailing zip code has taken on new life, the Rossmoor Board of Directors were told at their October meeting.
Director Michael Maynard had complained earlier this year that using a Los Alamitos zip code when ordering products through Amazon and other mail-order services was costing residents additional sales taxes.
Rossmoor once had its own postal zip code, 90721, he said, and its own post office until postal officials closed the post office in the 1980s and merged Rossmoor’s mailing with Los Alamitos (90720).
Purchases made from Rossmoor are automatically and wrongfully charged the Los Al sales tax because they are in that zip code, even though technically, they live in Rossmoor and should not be charged the additional 1.5 cent sales tax, he said in July.
Some of the Amazon computers are more sophisticated and able to tell the difference. He estimated that at least 50% of the Amazon customers in Rossmoor are also wrongfully charged the sales tax, he added.
“I am doing this because I think it is wrong,” said Maynard, estimating Rossmoor residents are wrongfully charged between $150 – 200,000 per year. Maynard did not explain his rationale for the estimation but said “I think there is a fix for it,” said Maynard at the time.
At the Board’s October meeting, Joe Mendoza, the General Manager of the Rossmoor Community Services District said since July, he has followed up with state and federal officials and a formal request has been made with the Postmaster General.
Mendoza said he and Maynard have met with First District Supervisor Andrew Do’s Chief Deputy to “ask for their support in securing our own zip code.”
“They listened, they’re looking into it,” he said. “We explained it in great detail, and they understood it,” said Mendoza.
In addition, the General Manager said they also met with Congresswoman Michelle Steel’s office to put in a “formal request” with the U.S. Postmaster General. Since then, said Mendoza, Steel’s office has taken the lead on the issue.
Mendoza said his office has created a “detailed request” to the Postmaster General explaining “what we want and why we want it,” and that postal officials had gotten back to him asking his office to “minimize” the taxation issue simply because the Postmaster “isn’t in charge of the taxation.”
Mendoza said he would work with Maynard to finalize the request before formally submitting it “but they know it’s coming and that’s a good thing.”
In their research, Mendoza said they learned things that will bolster their case for Rossmoor having its own zip code, including the fact that other special districts in California, such as Midway City, already have their own zip codes.
In other action, the Board voted 4-1 to accept the lowest bid from Taylor Tennis Company to resurface four tennis courts, restripe three of them as tennis courts, stripe one as pickleball courts and resurface one basketball court for $61,000.
Mendoza said the $61,000 was the lowest bid, and it was $11,000 over the $50,000 the Board had budgeted for the project.
Even so, the Directors discussed the situation in La Palma, wherein the Council recently nixed construction of pickleball courts because the price of the bids had ballooned over the estimates.
“It’s a supply and demand situation,” said Mendoza.
Board President Tony DeMarco wanted to confirm that Taylor Tennis, Inc., the lowest bidder, was the same company that had previously worked on its tennis courts. He also read the scope of work to be performed by the company if the bid was accepted.
In addition, Demarco asked the RCSD’s attorney, Tarquin Preziosi, about what flexibility the special district might have.
“The board’s power to deviate from the lowest responsible bidder is very limited,” said Preziosi.
Director Nathan Searles objected to moving forward because he said the board had not technically held a meeting to create a budget amendment to authorize the work. “We have still not amended the budget,” he suggested.
After additional discussions between the attorneys and members of the board, Director Jeffrey Barke, M.D., moved the item which was seconded by Maynard.
Maynard said given the district’s revenue and skyrocketing prices of everything, “I’m very comfortable in seconding this motion.”
“I remain opposed,” said Searles, who suggested the board still needed to have a formal budget amendment to authorize the work.
Director Jo Shade complained about decision makers not being given the entire bid documents, and responses to examine, but said she was in favor of the project. Mendoza pointed to a summary which he said contained much the same info.
The motion passed 4-1, with Searles voting against. The Directors agreed also with a suggestion by Mendoza to look into the cost of painting of the RCSD logo in the center of the courts but took no formal action on the request.
