1. Achieving a Complete and Accurate Count
2020 CENSUS PLANNING
Achieving a Complete and Accurate Count

2. CENSUS 2020 GOAL
Ensure that everyone is counted once, only once, and in the right place.

3. IMPORTANCE OF THE CENSUS
Summary: Census Data determine money and power
Representation
Census count determines Congressional Representation for each state and provides data to draw federal, state, and local legislative districts. 
Funding
Apportion more than $675 billion in federal grants to tribal, state and local government.
Policy
Governments use census data to make policy decisions for our communities such as school siting, libraries service, and transportation infrastructure.
Planning
Plan future locations for retail stores, new housing developments and other community facilities.

4. FISCAL SIGNIFICANCE TO OUR COMMUNITIES
Potential alternative language for first bullet point: 
An undercount would deprive Contra Costa County of significant federal funds per year –  $1,958 per resident per year, according to California Department of Finance estimates. 
Example: Very small City in Wisconsin allocated $10,000 for targeted Census outreach and was able to track an addition $1,000,000 in money returned to community. Census outreach is a good investment. 
An undercount would deprive Contra Costa County and its communities of millions of dollars in federal funds per year – an estimated $2,000 per resident per year, according to The George Washington University Institute of Public Policy. 
For example, an undercount of just 5,000 residents, risks a potential loss of an estimated $10 million in funding per year.  This equates to an estimated $100,000,000 million over the next decade.

5. CENSUS BY THE NUMBERS
Contra Costa County receives 42% of its revenue from Federal & State resources
California receives $76 billion in federal funding, based upon the state’s population
Each person not counted equates to a loss of about $2,000 in State and Federal funding PER YEAR
Contra Costa County has 212,356 people living in “Hard-to-Count” Census Tracts
If Contra Costa County undercounts by 5%, we’d lose an estimated $1.1 Billion over 10 years

6. EXAMPLES OF PROGRAMS WITH FUNDING DEPENDENT ON CENSUS DATA
Transportation: Highway Planning and Construction
Children: Foster Care, Nutritional School Lunch Program
Health and Nutrition: Medicaid, Medicare Part B, Health Center Programs
Schools: Head Start, Special Education Grants, Title I Grants
Affordable Housing: Section 8, Low Income Home Energy Assistance
Other: Community Development Block Grant

7. WHAT'S NEW IN THE 2020 CENSUS?
The Citizenship Question is the same as the question asked on the American Community Survey
The Survey does not ask if noncitizens are legally in the country
There are significant concerns the question will reduce participation among immigrant communities, especially given the change in the social and political climate
New Question regarding Citizenship Status

8. WHAT'S NEW IN THE 2020 CENSUS?
This could all be incorporated into the notes for staff to discuss in the previous slide re: immigration
Concerns about Citizenship Status Question
If immigrants shun the Census, it could impact the number of congressional seats and the amount of federal funding in states and communities with a large number of immigrants.  
Immigrants skipping the Census could also hurt health and social science research which depends on the Census for baseline population data. 
On March 6, 2019 US Federal District Court issued an order to block the question as it violated administrative law. In January, a US Federal District Court order the administration stop its plans to include the question. in an earlier ruling The US Supreme Court is expected to hear the case in April and make a final decision by June.

9. WHAT'S NEW IN THE 2020 CENSUS?
Other What's New to mention?
Updates in technology that will allow Access to data the public has already provided, to reduce the need to make household visits and a more refined address list and automation of Census field operations, while maintaining the security and confidentiality of personal information
Potential for State grant funds to support community outreach efforts
Significant changes in social and political climate since 2010
First time the Census Decennial Survey will be online
Pros
New technology to make it easier than ever to respond to the census. 
There are more options for self-response (online, by phone, and by mail), thus reducing door to door canvassing.
Cons
Inequitable access to internet.
Concerns about cybersecurity.

10. KEY MESSAGES ABOUT THE CENSUS
Note: I moved this all the way down as a summary slide instead to get to the juicy part about the importance of the Census right away.
Easy:  Short census questionnaire.  Takes about 10 minutes to complete
Safe:  By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal and law enforcement agencies.  Census Bureau workers take an oath to protect the confidentiality of the data.  The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both.
Important: Census Data helps determine our political representation and funding for local roads, schools, and community improvement

11. February – March 2020
  Census questionnaires are mailed or delivered to households. 
March – April 2020 
  Be Counted program is implemented. Census questionnaires are available at  
  select public sites for individuals who did not receive one by mail. 
April 1, 2020
 CENSUS DAY
May  – July 2020 
 Census takers visit households that did not respond. 
December 31, 2020 
 By law, the Census Bureau delivers population counts to the President. 
March 2021 
 By law, the Census Bureau completes delivery of redistricting data to states.