Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 01, 2020
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION NO. 20-142, AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2020-21 BUDGET FOR THE CENSUS COUNT DRIVE THRU AND CARAVAN EVENT (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
This item is being introduced at the request of the Ad Hoc Census Subcommittee.
As of the date of this report, the City is 71% complete in its Census Count. The City of Carson is looking to capitalize on every opportunity available to ensure all residents have the chance to be accounted for. In an attempt to aid in this endeavor by capturing a “Complete Count,” while being equally COVID-19 conscious, the City is looking to further the Census Count by organizing two events that bring attention to the importance of this effort.
The first event proposed is the “Census Count Drive Thru” that would take place on Saturday, September 12th and be held at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center Parking Lot from 9am to 1pm.
This event aims at targeting those hard to reach residents that have not already been accounted for by providing an enjoyable and interactive experience that promotes the importance of being counted within the City of Carson. City staff anticipates providing donuts and/or ice cream for residents who register on this day and a gift bag containing Census 2020 educational materials that explain the importance of being counted. These materials provide information on how to register online and/or with the assistance of a US Census Enumerator via the telephone.
The second event proposed is the “Census Count Caravan” that would take place on Friday, September 25th and consist of a multitude of cars driving through low-response Census tracks. That is, the caravan will parade through areas of homes, businesses and houses of worship that have NOT yet filled out their Census forms (based on live-data collected via 2020 Census) in an attempt to count the hardest-to-reach community members in the City of Carson.
Both events will be comprised of community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and local leaders involved with the “2020 Carson Counts” Census campaign. Volunteers for these events will have official Census 2020 materials to provide to residents explaining how to be counted with the assistance of a US Census Enumerator either online or by paper form.
Additionally, as part of the ongoing effort to reach as many households as possible, City staff will also produce Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) in different languages that will be professional commercials to air on our local cable channels as well as our social media platforms.
Finally, City staff will assist in the distribution of banners to a multitude of entities such as the Oil Refineries (Marathon, Phillips 66 and Shell), Dignity Health Center and our local schools.
All of these endeavors combined are proposed in an effort to ensure that the City of Carson is accurately counted. If our residents are accurately counted, the City then receives greater financial support toward providing essential services to the community.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE appropriations of $10,000.00 for the CENSUS COUNT DRIVE THRU AND CARAVAN EVENTS.
2. WAIVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 20-142, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2020-21 BUDGET FOR THE CENSUS COUNT DRIVE THRU AND CARAVAN EVENTS.”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action that Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
The goal of the 2020 Census is to have a complete and accurate count of everyone living in the United States. The count is mandated by the Constitution and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, a nonpartisan government agency. The 2020 Census counts the population in the United States and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Each home will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire-online, by phone, or by mail-by the end of September 2020.
The census provides critical data that lawmakers, business owners, teachers, and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for the community. Every year, billions of dollars in federal funding go to hospitals, fire departments, schools, roads, and other resources based on census data.
The final day to register and be accounted for is September 30, 2020.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
This requested appropriation will have a net impact of reducing the General Fund Balance by $10,000. The requested funding will cover the expenses for the two proposed events, banners, flyers, City staff time, car banners, flags and other materials for a successful “2020 Carson Counts” Census campaign.
Account to charge for these events will be 101-50-540-101-6008.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Resolution No. 20-142 (pg. 4-5)
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Prepared by: City Manager's Office