Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Will Everyone Be Counted In 2020 Census? California Hopes So.
By admin
Published 6 years ago on
December 14, 2018

Share

Counting every person in the United States is the goal of the census.
Why?
For one, the population totals from the decennial census determine the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives.

“Our outreach plan is massive and, as such, we are dedicating more than $60 million toward it statewide.” — Diana Crofts-Pelayo, communications chief for California Complete Count
Members of the House make and pass federal laws that impact the lives of all Americans.
States use census totals to redraw their legislative and school districts. So do local governments.

Trump Injects Controversy into Census Count

The 2020 census will be the first conducted largely online. This could impact California’s response rate and that’s why state officials are funding a massive outreach effort.
But the online aspect of the census isn’t dominating the conversation.
Instead, the Trump administration has stirred fears among immigrants about the census. That’s because the Census Bureau plans to ask people on the 2020 form whether they are a citizen, U.S.-born or naturalized, or not a U.S. citizen. Some undocumented immigrants are concerned that completing the form would result in their deportation.
A citizenship question, should it pass legal muster, will produce a census undercount of as many as 6.5 million people, predominantly from “Hispanic, immigrant and foreign-born populations,” according to testimony by five former Census Bureau directors, Rolling Stone reported Dec. 13. Suffering most from the undercount, the former Census Bureau leaders, testified, would be urban communities.”
To allay such fears, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pledged at a Latino Coalition-sponsored event in October that all information would be kept confidential.
Still, states with large numbers of immigrants such as California, are redoubling efforts to count everyone in the 2020 census.
In addition, 17 states — led by New York — are suing to block the Trump administration from adding the citizenship question. The U.S. Supreme Court has set Feb. 19, 2019, for arguments over the evidence a federal judge can consider in the lawsuit.
The Pew Research Center says that there were 10.7 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States in 2016, representing 3.3% of the total U.S. population.

Photo of Wilbur Ross
Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross wants to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File))

Federal Funding Allocated Based on Census

The population totals affect how $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to communities each year. That will total nearly $7 trillion over the coming decade.
Many federal programs — including education, health, and human services — use census numbers as part of their funding formulas.
To help the U.S. Census Bureau count as many people as possible, states create advisory committees called Complete Count Committees.

To allay such fears, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross pledged at a Latino Coalition-sponsored event in October that all information would be kept confidential.
Tribal, state and local governments and community organizations establish CCCs to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the 2020 census.
Nationwide, there were over 10,000 CCCs formed with the Census Bureau during the 2010 census.
The next census is April 1, 2020. The deadline for the U.S. Census Bureau to submit state population totals to the president is Dec. 31, 2020.
To prepare, many states are already creating CCCs to educate and encourage citizens to participate.

The California Census Effort

In California, the governor has the California Complete Count Committee.
“Our office will be working on a statewide effort to reach out to and bring awareness to Californians,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, the communications chief for the California Complete Count.
Right now, there is an office in Sacramento. The state also will open offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Fresno.

Regional Manager Will Direct Fresno Area Outreach

In Fresno, Crofts-Pelayo said the state is hiring one regional program manager. The RPM will serve as the liaisons between state and local outreach efforts.
State leaders made a historic commitment to the 2020 census, Crofts-Pelayo said, because of the importance of counting all Californians.
“Our outreach plan is massive and, as such, we are dedicating more than $60 million toward it statewide,” Crofts-Pelayo said.
The funding can be broken down into three main areas, Crofts-Pelayo said.

Counties, Grassroots Groups Will Receive $60 Million

The state has allocated $30 million to counties to help them operate their local CCCs. It allocated another $30 million to community-based organizations that will also help reach hard-to-count individuals,  Crofts-Pelayo said.
“We have divided this in a way that the funding will be made available statewide to make sure it reaches groups in every part of California,” she said.
Crofts-Pelayo said there will also be an allocation of funds for the development of a census curriculum in California schools. She said the funds will also help in partnering with other state agencies to spread the word about the census to their participants.

Further Info Available

For more information, call the federal call center at 301-763-4636 or 800-923-8282, send an e-mail to ask.census.gov, or visit the U.S. Census Bureau website.

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

DON'T MISS

Trump Fires NSC Officials a Day After Far-Right Activist Raises Concerns to Him

DON'T MISS

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

DON'T MISS

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

DON'T MISS

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

DON'T MISS

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

DON'T MISS

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

DON'T MISS

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

UP NEXT

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

UP NEXT

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

UP NEXT

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

UP NEXT

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

UP NEXT

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Christopher Robert Sharkey

UP NEXT

Diehard Baseball Fans in Sacramento Welcome Athletics and Hope They Stay Awhile

UP NEXT

Flores Homers, Matos and Wade Also Go Deep to Help Giants Cap Sweep of Astros

UP NEXT

Fresno County Authorities Need Help Finding Family of Alejandro Solis

UP NEXT

Lilly Is a Young Terrier Who Loves Dogs, Cats, and People

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

13 hours ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

13 hours ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

13 hours ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

14 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

16 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

16 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

16 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

16 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

17 hours ago

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

17 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

GV Wire’s Edward Smith talks with KMPH Fox 26 “Great Day” anchor Christina Rodriguez about the possibility of CEMEX digging a 600-foot hole ...

11 hours ago

11 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: CEMEX’s New Mining Plan for the San Joaquin River

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
12 hours ago

Trump Fires NSC Officials a Day After Far-Right Activist Raises Concerns to Him

12 hours ago

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

13 hours ago

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

13 hours ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

13 hours ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seated right, gives a thumbs-up alongside his wife Lisa Oz, seated left, with friends and family after he testified at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP/Ben Curtis)
14 hours ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

16 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend