Eastvale keeps fighting to get its own ZIP code

Eastvale’s battle to secure its own ZIP code is pushing forward.

Mayor Pro Tem Clint Lorimore, council member Mike McMinn, and city staff recently traveled to Washington, D.C. and met with Senators, members of Congress and their staff and discussed changing flawed ZIP code boundaries.

Eastvale has been fighting that battle since it incorporated 16 years ago, and it’s not alone. Representatives from two other cities participated in the discussions, and the number of cities that want the U.S. Postal Service to change their ZIP code borders is at least double that, according to Lorimore.

After years of false starts and considerable frustration, Lorimore believes Eastvale (pop. 69,183) might be getting close to a breakthrough.

“I’ve been on the council for 12 years, and the boundaries have always been an issue,” Lorimore said. “I’m always asked about it, especially by business owners. Everyone wants to know when we’re going to get this done.”

Several times, the U.S. Postal Service has denied Eastvale’s request for its own ZIP code, claiming it would be too expensive and could possibly harm mail deliveries.

But right now, there’s probably more reason to feel optimistic about that happening than any time since Eastvale incorporated in 2010.

“We received a lot of positive feedback from the staff members we talked to,” Lorimore said. This time it feels like it has legs. I really believe we’re going to get it done.”

Since it became a city, Eastvale has shared ZIP codes with four other cities: 91752 with Mira Loma and Jurupa Valley, and 92880 with Corona and Chino.

That unusual set-up has caused mail to be delivered to the wrong address, both residential and business. Sales taxes and insurance rates have been calculated incorrectly and police officers and firefighters sometimes have difficulty finding the correct location when they’re responding to an emergency.

Eastvale officials also fear what could happen If a major earthquake or other natural catastrophe were to happen there, and emergency personnel from outside the Inland Empire were deployed.

“If that were to happen the ZIP code boundaries could be a terrible problem,” Lorimore said. “Are (the emergency responders) in Mira Loma? Jurupa Valley? Chino? They would have no way of knowing what city they’re in.”

A lot of people in Eastvale are frustrated that it’s taking so long to solve a problem they believe should have been fixed with little or no difficulty, since the city’s ZIP code should been of no concern to anyone outside of northwest Riverside County.

“I always tell people the same thing,” Lorimore said. “This involves the U.S. Postal Service, and it takes an act of Congress to get this done. It’s the federal government, and the federal government moves slowly.”

In February 2025, Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Corona) and Norma Torres (D-Ontario) reintroduced legislation that would establish one ZIP code for Eastvale. Two years earlier, both lawmakers introduced a similar bill that was not successful.

“The lack of a unique ZIP code that properly identifies Eastvale continues to negatively impact residents and businesses,” Calvert said in a statement when the bill was introduced. “For years, city leaders, residents, and the local business community have consistently expressed to the U.S. Postal Service their desire for a distinct ZIP code, but it has refused to take this step.”

H.R. 1225 has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, but no action on it has been taken.

Two other bills related to Eastvale’s ZIP code are in the Congressional pipeline: SB 1455, which has been assigned to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, and HR 672, a companion bill to SB 1455.

HR 672 passed the House of Representatives in July, and it’s been referred to the Senate for review and consideration, said Alexander Fung, Eastvale’s economic development director.

“If one of those three bills passes it will solve our problem,” Fung said. “HR 672 includes cities from other states that have similar ZIP code issues. That bill has gotten more traction, probably because there are more cities behind it.”

Delegations from approximately 12 other cities with ZIP code issues similar or identical to Eastvale’s gathered in the nation’s capital to meet with members of Congress. Among those lawmakers consulted was Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, chair of the Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the U.S. Postal Service.

In 2023, Eastvale and Castle Pines, Colo. co-founded the National ZIP Code Advocacy Coalition, a group with members from more than 80 cities in 35-plus states.  Eastvale is co-chair of the organization, which works to change ZIP code boundaries that hurt businesses, neighborhoods or mail deliveries.

Eastvale’s ZIP code dilemma precedes it becoming a city, according to a longtime businesswoman there.

“Yes, I’ve had a lot of issues with the Zip code problem,” said Kay Trotman, owner of Destined to Travel, a travel agency that arranges African safaris. “I get checks in the mail, and the clients are always calling to ask me, ‘I don’t see your address, you told me it was in Eastvale, but it comes up Corona. Where do I find you?’”

Trotman’s business is 20 years old, and the overlapping ZIP code – 92880 – has been a problem during that entire time.

“I can’t say it comes up 10 or 20 times a day, but it comes up periodically,” Trotman said. “It comes up when a package is being sent, or when a client is sending me money. There’s no pattern to how many times it comes up, it just does, and it’s aggravating.”

Trotman credits Eastvale officials with trying to fix the problem.

“I think the city is doing everything it possibly can, but I don’t think the post office has tried to do much,” Trotman said. “ I’ve talked to the post office, and it’s like talking to the wall.”

It’s possible Eastvale’s Zip code problem could be solved relatively soon.

The (Homeland Security) committee has expressed interest in moving the bill forward, maybe in the next few months,” Fung said. “We’ve never been this far in legislative process before. We’re going to remain optimistic, and we’re going to keep pushing.”