Augustine Ruiz

Two Berkeley postal workers tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July, significantly increasing delays in the city’s post offices.

North Berkeley resident Mimi Mugler was in her living room at 1:30 a.m. when she heard some noise on her porch and opened the door to see her mailman standing there.

The United States Postal Service, or USPS, filed a lawsuit against the city of Berkeley on Monday over a zoning ordinance that depletes the value of the Berkeley Main Post Office building and allegedly prevents its sale.

Though the occupation has ended, members of local activist groups returned to the steps and sidewalks outside the Berkeley Main Post Office on Saturday to commemorate their 17-month demonstration.

Orange safety fencing supported by bollards cordons off an area that once housed tents, a box containing free clothing and a mayoral campaign headquarters during a 17-month-long occupation outside the Berkeley Main Post Office.

A federal judge dismissed Tuesday the City of Berkeley’s suit against the United States Postal Service, which had been trying to sell the 100-year-old Berkeley Main Post Office on 2000 Allston Way to a private firm, on the grounds that the case had become moot.

Due to ongoing litigation with the city of Berkeley regarding its sale, the U.S. Postal Service removed the Downtown Berkeley post office from its commercial listings of buildings for sale earlier this month.

Local developer Hudson McDonald failed to reach an agreement regarding the sale of the Downtown Berkeley post office last week, after months of negotiations and prolonged community protest. Despite termination of the sale and recent police intervention, some protesters remain outside the building on Milvia Street and Allston Way after more than a month of occupation.

The city of Berkeley filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the United States Postal Service, alleging that it took steps toward selling the Berkeley Post Office before publicly evaluating historic impacts as required under both the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The United States Postal Service and the city of Berkeley are in the process of potentially selling the Berkeley Post Office, located on 2000 Allston Way.