Agenda

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10.

2020 CENSUS COMPLETE COUNT STEERING COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	03/18/2019
Subject: Language Accessibility for the Census Form and Promotional Materials
Submitted For:	David Twa
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	6
Referral Name:	Language Presentation
Presenter:	Zhiyuan "John" Zhang, U.S. Census Bureau	Contact:	Barbara Riveira (925) 335-1018

Information

Referral History:

At the February 19, 2019 Steering Committee meeting, Supervisor Burgis requested the U.S. Census Bureau return to the Steering Committee to provide a presentation on language access.

Referral Update:

Zhiyuan Zhang, or John, Partnership Specialist, U.S. Census Bureau, has joined us for the presentation. Mr. Zhang was a college English teacher in China for seven years. In 1989 he came to the United States to pursue graduate studies in American Studies at Smith College in Massachusetts. After graduation, he traveled from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast to learn about the American people and to experience the cultures, and finally settled down in the Bay Area and raised three kids here.

John has been a business owner for over 20 years focusing on developing international training programs for Chinese government officials, executives and professionals. Living in the Silicon Valley, John witnessed the progress that technology presented as well as the environmental damage caused by the huge accumulation of electronic waste. To better serve the community and protect the environment, he set up a recycling business with a few friends to collect e-waste in the Bay Area. As a local Bay Area resident, John’s goal is to get involved with communities and to motivate everyone to participate in the 2020 Census. Please see the attached presentation information provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Kristine Solseng, Conservation and Development Department will present information on potential language barriers for certain hard to count populations in Contra Costa County.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

RECEIVE presentation on Language Accessibility from Zhiyuan "John" Zhang, U.S. Census Bureau. RECEIVE presentation from Kristine Solseng, Conservation and Development Department on potential language barriers for certain hard to count populations in Contra Costa County.

Fiscal Impact (if any):

N/A

Attachments
Language Accessibility - US Census Bureau
Contra Costa County Languages Presentation
Contra Costa County Language Statistics
Census Bureau Resources for County Languages