It used to be that a single postal worker would stand in a processing room and sort through mail by hand -- at a rate of 18 letters a minute.  Now, a machine sorts through 40,000 letters an hour.

But as technology giveth, technology taketh away.  Thanks to email and the recession, the United States Postal Service now finds itself losing money -- and looking at closing some of its post offices.

That’s the challenge Al Santos faces as he finishes his first week as Sacramento’s 26th postmaster.  He started as a letter carrier in 1987.  Most recently, he helped manage the big Los Angeles district.  We caught up with him Thursday on the processing floor in West Sacramento.