James Pantoja arrived as the new Livermore postmaster just in time to be a Santa’s helper during the Christmas package rush.
Pantoja, a veteran of 11 years with the USPS, comes from a recent assignment in Tombstone, Ariz. He specifically requested a reassignment to “somewhere with four seasons,” he said.
Colorado fit the bill since he and his family had visited and fell in love with it. Pantoja is currently living in Fort Collins with his wife, Angie, and son, Bryce.
His Livermore assignment is much different than his previous post. Tombstone “is a tourist hot spot for people from all over the world,” he said, so much of his work was with people from out of the area. There was no rural delivery because most of the townspeople used post office boxes.
In Livermore tourists are rare. Pantoja and three carriers service 900 rural delivery addresses, but maintain only 100 P.O. boxes.
In December, when the USPS’s $10 billion budget shortfall was national news, Pantoja fielded three or four calls per day from people wondering if the Livermore post office would be closing. He assured all callers that the office is not slated for closure.
With all the differences, Pantoja is enjoying his new assignment in Northern Colorado.
“Everyone has been kind and easy to get along with,” he said.