Board of Supervisors to Consider Unprecedented $1 Million Investment in First Phase of Santa Clara County’s 2020 Census Efforts
Major campaign proposed to ensure proper funding and fair representation for county residents
WHAT:
On Tuesday, March 6, the Office of the County Executive will ask the Board of Supervisors to allocate $1 million to launch the 2018 Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) effort, among the most significant opportunities for the County of Santa Clara to ensure that every county household is on the Census Bureau’s address list to be officially counted. This is the first phase of the County’s multi-year campaign to get out the count for the 2020 Census.
“The federal government has severely underfunded the 2020 Census, and it is widely recognized that the Census Bureau has critical operations gaps,” said County Executive Jeffrey V. Smith, M.D., J.D. “We need an unprecedented investment, strong collaboration within the community, and productive partnerships to ensure that every member of our diverse community is counted. Our residents have contributed billions of dollars in taxes to the federal government, and our community and all others around the country should receive the representation and federal funding accurately reflecting our population.”
The County has until June 30, 2018, to complete this first phase of work. The funding would support data gathering, research, canvassing, and community engagement to identify addresses, including in communities that are often under counted in the Census, including the county’s large populations of immigrants, people of color, young children, single parents, low-income households, large or overcrowded households, and those living in low-visibility housing such as cottages, basements, converted garages and recreational vehicles. Failure to accurately count these populations has massive implications for our region’s representation in Congress and federal funding allocations.
WHO:
Board of Supervisors
Jeffrey V. Smith, M.D., J.D., County Executive
David Campos, Deputy County Executive
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 6, 2018, Board meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.
Media Availability on Tuesday: 9:30-10:30 a.m. or after 12 noon
WHERE:
County Government Center, Board Chambers, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose
WHY:
Each year, the federal government provides the State of California and local governments with nearly $2,000 per resident based on census data. The data also dictates how many representatives our residents get in Congress and guides how local and state government draw districts for political representation. The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors has prioritized the census to ensure an accurate and fair count.
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ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, the fifth largest county in California. With a $6.5 billion budget, more than 70 agencies/departments and 20,000 employees, the County of Santa Clara plans for the needs of a dynamic community, offers quality services, and promotes a healthy, safe and prosperous community for all. The County provides essential services including public health and environmental protection, medical services through Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC), child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, parks, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and scores of other services, particularly for those members of our community in the greatest need.
Visit us at: http://www.sccgov.org
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/sccgov
Media Contact: María Leticia Gómez/Laurel Anderson, Office of Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119.
Posted: March 5, 2018