The 2020 Census Officially Kicks off in LA County
Los Angeles: The 2020 Census officially began last week, with the US Census Bureau sending letters to all households in the County, inviting residents to participate in the census, either online, by mail or by phone.
“We know COVID-19 remains top of mind for residents in LA County and across the country, and the health and safety of all LA County residents is always our top priority,” said LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “You can safely participate in the census from your home: online, by mail-in or by phone. There are also online and phone resources available in over 50 languages to help you complete your census form. Doing this will reduce the risk of spread of novel coronavirus in our community, while also ensuring we get an accurate count of our communities.”
The County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, City of Long Beach, and the California Community Foundation are teaming up to lead the region’s “Get Out The Count” efforts, which are designed to urge residents to take part in the 2020 Census.
“The stakes of the Census could not be higher — because participating this year means getting the resources and representation we deserve for the decade ahead,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “Our mission and message are absolutely vital to the future of our city and our democracy: everyone matters and everybody belongs, and we have to ensure immigrants, communities of color, low-income families, and our most vulnerable neighbors are seen, heard, and counted in 2020.”
The Constitution mandates a count of the nation’s population every 10 years. The information from the census determines the number of seats each state holds in Congress, and how much federal funding is allocated to both state and local communities for the next 10 years. Local government officials use the census to ensure public safety and plan new schools and hospitals.
Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, which creates jobs. Real estate developers and city planners use the census to plan new homes and improve neighborhoods. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy.
“The 2020 Census is the first census that will be done primarily electronically, creating an additional barrier for low-income families and communities of color. We embrace LA County’s diversity and will make every effort to count every resident,” said LA County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis. “An accurate census count is not only foundational to representative democracy, but it ensures that schools and communities throughout LA County receive their fair share of federal funding. We cannot afford to have millions of people undercounted in the census. In difficult times like these, our hospitals must be fully funded to preserve the health of our families. And in the future, freeway projects could be jeopardized, workforce development programs could be affected, and school programs could be cut. The federal government must not leave our vulnerable communities underfunded and underrepresented. LA County will rise to the challenge to make sure that everyone is counted in the 2020 Census. Everyone counts!”
“More people getting counted translates into more funding for important programs and services like schools, hospitals, clinics, and roads,” said LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “Over the past 10 years, our community lost hundreds of millions of dollars because too many of us didn’t fill out our census form a decade ago. This year, we can change that!”
The California Community Foundation has brought together more than 100 community-based groups who are leading activities to support and encourage local residents across LA County to complete their census form. Visit https://wecountla.org/ for more information.
“The magnitude of this effort demonstrates the value we place on ensuring every person is counted,” said Antonia Hernández, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. “Too much is on the line and we must all stand up and be counted.”
For non-English speaking residents, the LA County 2020 Census website offers county-specific information in 16 languages, and the US 2020 Census website offers general information in 59 languages, including in-language guides. Visit https://census.lacounty.gov/ and
https://2020census.gov/ for more information.
“Participating in the census is one of the most democratic things you can do for your community,“ said Long Beach City Councilmember Rex Richardson. “Gather your family, friends, work colleagues, your neighbors, and everyone you know to complete the census. Let them know that they count and they matter.”
About the County of Los Angeles “Be Counted” Campaign
An accurate 2020 Census is essential to ensure fair political representation and maintain an equitable distribution of formula-based federal funding for projects and social service programs. Los Angeles County's Census goal is that every resident is informed about, has access to and completes the 2020 Census survey. For more information, visit https://census.lacounty.gov/.
About the City of Los Angeles Campaign
The City of Los Angeles’ Census 2020 Initiative is responsible for conducting outreach to historically undercounted populations in Los Angeles, through grassroots organizing and in collaboration with grasstops and community groups, to ensure the City’s hard-to-count populations respond to the census questionnaire. We want every Angeleno to be informed, be involved and be counted. For more information, visit census.lacity.org.
About the City of Long Beach
The City of Long Beach created the Long Beach Complete Count Committee, which is over 45 members strong, and is comprised of community-based organizations, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, local businesses, and local governmental partners. To date, the City of Long Beach has identified over 35 locations for Questionnaire Action Kiosks and Questionnaire Assistance Centers to ensure equitable access for completing the census questionnaire. City has also committed $200,000 to community-based organizations to fund census-activities in hard-to-count areas of Long Beach. For more information, visit longbeach.gov/census.
About California Community Foundation’s “We Count Los Angeles” Campaign
The California Community Foundation (CCF) has formed a powerful network of 101 community groups that encompass the We Count LA campaign to ensure all of Los Angeles is counted. These groups have received grants totaling more than $12.7 million. CCF has been appointed as the region’s Administrative Community Based Organization (ACBO) by the State of California. In addition to providing state funding, this role designates CCF as responsible for leading and coordinate education and outreach in Los Angeles County – which is ranked the hardest to count region in the nation. In addition to resources from the state for this role, other key funding partners include the Weingart Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, Ballmer Group, California Endowment, Smidt Foundation, Libra Foundation, Mindy & Gene Stein, California Wellness Foundation, Roy & Patricia Disney Foundation and the City of Los Angeles. For more information, visit https://wecountla.org.
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