The historic post office buildings that are up for sale are, at the moment, public property. Your article “Downtown Berkeley post office to close after 97 years” (July 2) indicates that they will soon be passing into private hands but doesn’t disclose who or what is bidding on them. Why not? Why the secrecy about the process? The public (whose property it still is) has a right to know the details of these transactions as they are unfolding, not after the fact. The public also has the right to a public comment period to explore whether these sales are in the best interests of the communities losing their post offices. Unless the process is transparent and local media provide coverage, it is reasonable to suppose that there are deals being made that may not be in the best interests of the public and that at least some of the buyers may not be acting in the most ethical, above-board manner.

— Kathryn A. Klar
Lecturer emerita, UC Berkeley Celtic studies