Agenda

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C. 27

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Supervisor Diane Burgis & Supervisor John Gioia
Date:	April 16, 2019

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

REQUEST TO STATE FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR CENSUS 2020 RELATED ACTIVITIES

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 04/16/2019

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Mark Goodwin (925) 252-4500

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: April 16, 2019
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors and the Chair of the Census 2020 Complete Count Steering Committee to cosign the attached letters to the Senate Budget Subcommittee requesting a $5 million increase in the State Budget allocation for Region 3 local Complete Count Committees.

FISCAL IMPACT:

There is no fiscal impact related to sending the letter. Should the Legislature authorize additional funding to Region 3 counties, Contra Costa County could expect to receive a portion of the increase, which would depend on a formula that would determine sharing ratios. If allocated as proposed on a per capita basis, Contra Costa County, representing about 16% of Region 3, might expect about an $800,000 share of the requested amount.

BACKGROUND:

The decennial census is the once-a-decade population and housing count of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. The results of the census determine the number of seats for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives and are used to draw congressional and state legislative districts. Redistricting counts are sent to the states by March 31, 2021. Federal agencies use the results to distribute more than $675 billion in federal funds each year. Communities rely on census statistics to plan

for a variety of resident needs including new roads, schools, and emergency services. Businesses use census data to determine where to open places to shop.

Counties get one chance every ten years to ensure that every person and household is counted.

The 2020 Census presents a combination of new opportunities and challenges. Computerization of the census survey will make participation easy and convenient for those with access to computer tools and skills, yet there still remains a large number of people who will not be able to avail themselves of that option and will need to complete the survey on paper or over the phone. There are also a number of populations that are hard to count and have, in past censuses, been undercounted due to language barriers, fear and uncertainty about how the information would be used, and difficulty in reaching them about the importance of the census.

The 2018/19 State Budget allocated $90.3 million for Census 2020 outreach, of which $26.6 million was designated for counties. Region 3, which comprises Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties, received only $3.2 million of the counties' allocation. Contra Costa County was allocated only $362,605 for all local census activities, and the State's administrative and operational requirements of counties to access these funds are substantial.

Region 3 has several unique challenges in ensuring a complete and accurate census count. Due to the high cost of living in the Bay Area, Region 3 has a high number of residents in transitional housing, such as short term renting and multigenerational housing, along with a portion of the population who are homeless. Region 3 also has a high number of immigrant, non-English speaking, and other hard to count populations. Contra Costa County will have particular challenges with hard to count groups:

• 24.7% are foreign born [1]
• 34.8% speak a language other than English at home 1
• 5.7% are under 5 years old 1
• 7.5% have a disability 1
• 14.8% are at or below the poverty rate [2]

As Local Complete Count Committees across the region are gearing up for Census 2020 and developing their strategic outreach plans, it has become evident that the amounts allocated for Region 3 counties will not be adequate to meet the State requirements for outreach, especially to hard to count populations. Census outreach involves a high level of networking, communication and coordination, as well as targeted messaging in many languages and across varied platforms. The State and United Way of the Bay Area (the Region 3 Administrative Community-Based Organization) have begun to outline the supportive services they will provide, but many outreach gaps remain and more funds will be necessary to implement the robust outreach effort expected by the State.

[1] US Census Bureau Population Estimates 2018 (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/contracostacountycalifornia)

[2] California Poverty Method (CPM) 2014-2016 (http://www.ppic.org/publication/poverty-in-california/)