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County News Center | Office of Communications and Public Affairs

Countdown to Census 2020: Census to Go Digital for First Time

March 29, 2019

Political Representation and Federal funding for roads, healthcare and other services depend on complete Census 2020 count

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.—The one-year countdown to Census 2020 has begun. The County of Santa Clara will host the U.S. Census Bureau, governmental agencies, nonprofits, and community partners on April 2 to address critical issues before the Census begins on April 1, 2020.

“The County of Santa Clara relies on almost $500 million in annual census-based funds to provide critical services to its residents,” said Nick Kuwada, Census 2020 Program Manager for the County of Santa Clara. “The consequences of an incomplete count would be enormous for the County and its residents because it would lead to less funding for roads, healthcare and other vital services the community relies on.”

WHAT:

Santa Clara County Complete County Committee, Census 2020: The One-Year Countdown

WHO:

Supervisor Dave Cortese, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors

David Campos, Deputy County Executive

Nick Kuwada, Census 2020 Program, Santa Clara County

U.S. Census Bureau Representatives

WHEN:

Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.

WHERE:

Mexican Heritage Plaza

1700 Alum Rock Avenue

San Jose, CA 95116

WHAT’S NEW:

  • The Census, for the first time in history, will be conducted primarily online instead of by mail. Santa Clara County residents will have four methods for response: internet, phone, paper form or in-person.

WHAT’S AT STAKE:

  • More than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed annually based on census data, and of that, California receives over $76 billion.
  • Congressional representation is based on census data.

CHALLENGES:

  • Fewer than 7 in 10 households said they intend to fill out the census form.
  • Locally, the hard-to-reach populations have a census response rate of less than 70%;

these include older adults, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, and refugees.

  • The federal government has reduced funding that assists with getting an accurate census count, limiting the manpower to contact residents about the census.

About the County of Santa Clara’s Census Efforts

The County of Santa Clara is pursuing aggressive action to ensure a complete, accurate, and fair 2020 Census, including litigation, programmatic, and policy efforts. For example, Board of Supervisors approved an unprecedented $1 million to launch the 2018 Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) effort, one of 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.

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Media Contact: Nick Kuwada, Census 2020 Program, (408) 343-9924; Laurel Anderson/Marina Hinestrosa, Office of Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119

Posted: March 29, 2019​