In the News: This quirky Bay Area beach town lost its post office. Then residents fought back. (SF Chronicle)

“The West Marin surf town’s funky street grid and hairpin turns along dry cliffs mean only a small fraction of its roughly 1,500 residents have home mail delivery. An aging population — more than half of locals are over 65 — and lack of public transportation now make the commute to Olema an urgent health issue. 

In a poll conducted last year by community members, 60% of residents said they depended on the post office for their medications. If elderly locals can’t reach their P.O. boxes in a timely manner, or arrive to find their prescriptions were delayed or lost in the mail, they might face serious — perhaps even fatal — consequences.”