New Postmaster Gets Stamp of Approval

Praising the community spirit that followed the Bank of America shootout, Russell Jacobson officially took over as postmaster of North Hollywood during an installation ceremony Friday.

Jacobson, a 19-year U.S. Postal Service veteran, had been acting postmaster since just before the Feb. 28 shooting, which took place about four blocks from the post office on Laurel Canyon Boulevard.

“Bullets were literally ricocheting on the street next to my car,” Jacobson recalled. “When I got home, the first thing my wife said was, ‘Are you sure you want to work in that place?’ I have to say that the first thought that went through my mind was, ‘Absolutely. Absolutely I do.’ Because I had the opportunity to see what most postmasters don’t get to see: people coming together.”

Jacobson is one of 15 postmasters in the San Fernando Valley. His territory includes all of North Hollywood and West Toluca Lake, plus portions of Studio City and Valley Village.

Before coming to the Valley, Jacobson served as postmaster in Anderson and Arcadia. He has also held supervisory posts in Oxnard, Palmdale and Simi Valley. Friday’s event in a large red-white-and-blue decorated storage room included a formal installation and oath of office administered by Woody De Witt, manager of post office operations for the Van Nuys District.

In attendance were dozens of family members and postal workers, who mingled and enjoyed refreshments after the ceremony while Steve Miller’s greatest hits played on a boom box.