Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CENSUS 2020 UPDATE (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
At its September 1, 2020 City Council Meeting, the City Council allocated up to $40,000 to be used in the Carson Census 2020 and on September 15, 2020 approved an additional $20,000 for a total of $60,000 towards the Census outreach efforts. On October 6, 2020, based upon a federal court ruling that extended the census count to the end of the month, the City Council increased the Census Count allocation from $60,000 to $70,000. At that same meeting, the City Council asked the Census Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of Mayor Pro Tem Jim Dear and City Councilmember Jawane Hilton, to determine the most effective use of the remaining funds.
Over the last several months, the end date for the Census has been in a state of flux. During the summer, the federal government moved the date from October 31, 2020 to September 30, 2020. Subsequently, a Federal Judge ruled that the head count of every U.S. resident shall continue through the end of October. Shortly after, the Secretary of Commerce stated the 2020 Census will end on October 5, 2020. On October 13, 2020, The United States Supreme Court halted the 2020 Census Count while an appeal of the federal court decision is in process. The Census Bureau has now indicated that the deadline to register ends on October 15, 2020 at 12:00 a.m. (PST).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 73.8% of Carson residents have self-reported as of the date of this staff report.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
DISCUSS and PROVIDE direction regarding the Census Count 2020.
Body
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).
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.
On September 1, 2020, the City Council allocated up to $40,000 towards Census efforts. On September 15, 2020 approved an additional $20,000 for a total of $60,000 towards the Census outreach efforts. On October 6, 2020, after learning that the Census date had been extended by a federal court to October 31, 2020, the City Council voted to increase the Census Count allocation from $60,000 to $70,000.
On September 9, 2020, the Census Ad-Hoc Committee met to discuss the use of the funds allocated by the City Council and to expand on the two City sponsored Census events: Drive-Thru Census Count and Carson Caravan. Recommendations were submitted by The Lions Club (Carson Chapter), the National Federation of Filipino American Association- Greater Los Angeles Area (NAFFAA-GLA) and Delta Theta Sigma Sorority, Inc. that assisted in the efforts of the Census Count.
The Drive-Thru Census Count event was held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center (East Side Parking Lot) from 9:00am to 1:00pm. There were donuts and ice cream, and other giveaways to draw residents to attend. This event was geared to attract the residents who had not been counted. US Census employees were on site to assist residents with registering either using their own devices or providing electronic devices enabling residents to register.
To target the Hard-To-Count (HTC) population, the Carson Caravan traveled through neighborhoods where counts have been low. The Caravan started at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center (East Side Parking Lot) on Saturday, September 26, 2020 and traveled from 10:00am to 2:00pm through various tracts in Carson that the Census Bureau has identified as having low counts.
Staff also retained AMAC, LLC Phone Bank services to provide live phone bank calls as requested by the City Council. The total calling universe was 16,747 Carson residents. 3,805 calls were live contacts to Carson residents, of which 2,929 (77%) of respondents stated they had already completed their Census and 266 (7%) of the respondents indicated they had not performed their Census.
In addition to the Census Drive-Thru, Census Caravan and the Phone Bank, each home received an invitation to respond by October 5, 2020 to a short questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail; and staff produced several advertisements (banners, TV and radio), Public Service Announcements (via Billboards on 91 & 405 freeways), social media posts; participated with LA County virtual Census 2020 Chalk-A-Thon and assisted the Census Bureau at local grocery stores to promote Census registration.
On October 13, 2020, the Census Ad Hoc Committee met to discuss and provide direction for the expenditure of the remaining funds targeted on HTCs in the City. Later that same day, the Supreme Court halted the 2020 Census while the appeal of the federal court decision is heard. The Trump Administration’s position is that the Census Bureau needs time to count and report results by its end of year deadline of December 31, 2020. Immediately after the rendering of the Supreme Court decision, the Census Bureau announced that the final date and time to register is October 15, 2020 at 12:00 a.m. (PST).
The following chart provides our self-count numbers in comparison to other cities in the area.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The City Council has approved appropriations of up to $70,000 for the Carson Complete Count, of which just over $50K has been spent towards the registration efforts of the Carson Census 2020. Shown below is a chart of all Carson Census 2020 expenditures, including the implementation of the last directive of the Census Ad Hoc Committee that authorized a Facebook “Boost” in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Tagalog and Samoan). Because of the October 15, 2020 midnight cutoff, only $1000 was spent on a boost for the last two days before the deadline.
VI. EXHIBITS
N/A
Prepared by: David C. Roberts, Jr., Assistant City Manager