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Home My WebLink AboutCM Census 2020____________________________________________________________________________________ FOR CITY CLERK ONLY Council Meeting: 02/03/2020 Disposition: Accepted report Agenda Item No: 6.a Meeting Date: February 3, 2020 SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT Department: City Manager Prepared by: Cristine Alilovich (EG) Assistant City Manager City Manager Approval: ______________ TOPIC: CENSUS 2020 SUBJECT: INFORMATIONAL UPDATE ON MARIN COUNTY EFFORTS IN PREPARATION OF THE 2020 UNITED STATES CENSUS RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept the report. BACKGROUND: The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count every person in the United States once every 10 years to determine congressional representation and allocate federal funds, among other governmental purposes. This year’s Census will take place from March through July 2020 and responses will be collected through paper mail-in forms, over the phone, in-person visits, and--for the first time-- online. Ensuring maximum participation in this year’s census is crucial for the following reasons: • Representation - Census data determines political representation at every level of government. • Funding - Census data dictates how the federal government distributes more than $800 billion in funds every year to state and local governments. For each person missed in California in the 2020 Census our communities will lose $1,000 per person per year for 10 years. • Data - The private, public and nonprofit sectors use census results as the gold standard of data to design, execute, and evaluate. Staff have been working collaboratively on the countywide Census efforts including identifying and coordinating efforts to secure state, regional, and foundation funding for Census outreach and education. Staff actions are overseen by a Marin County Steering Committee which includes elected officials from Marin City, the County of Marin, the City of Novato, and the City of San Rafael. Mayor Phillips and Vice Mayor Colin both serve on the Steering Committee. In Spring 2019, a Marin County Complete Count Committee (CCC) was established to ensure a complete Census count in Marin County. A Complete Count Committee is comprised of a broad spectrum of government and community leaders who are trusted voices and partners, including: Schools, Government agencies, Faith-based communities, Non-profits, and Businesses. The purpose of a CCC is to provide leadership and guidance in developing key strategies to ensure an accurate 2020 Census count. Finally, a CCC promotes awareness and campaigns for the Census from now through October 2020. SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 2 Status of Citizenship Question In June 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s rationale to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census was in violation of federal law. This finding effectively blocked the citizenship question from being included on this year’s Census. Furthermore, under Title 13 of the U.S. Code, Census data about individual respondents cannot be shared with any party outside the Census Bureau, including any government agency or law enforcement like ICE and police. Census Bureau staff who have access to personal information are sworn for life to protect this confidentiality and face a fine of $250,000 and/or up to five years in federal prison for wrongful disclosure of information. ANALYSIS: To date, staff resources have been dedicated to outreach and education in our “Hard-to-Count” Communities (HTC). HTCs are communities and individuals least likely to respond based on the California Hard to Count (HTC) Index, which looks at fourteen demographic, housing, and socioeconomic variables to determine potentially low Census response rates. In San Rafael, staff has identified the following HTC census tracts: • Canal (Tract 1122.01)- HTC Index: 107 and population of 7,700 • Canal (Tract 1122.02)- HTC Index: 66 and population of 6,376 • Terra Linda (Tract 1082)- HTC Index: 50 and population of 6,376 Over the next few months, Census outreach and education efforts will begin scaling up in preparation for the distribution of the census forms. The Census Bureau will begin sending out census forms in the mail under the following timeline: • March 12-20: An invitation to respond online to the 2020 Census (some households will receive paper questionnaires) • March 16-24: A Reminder Letter For households that have not responded by March 26, they will receive the following: • March 26-April 3: A reminder postcard • April 8-16: a reminder letter and paper questionnaire • April 20-27: A final reminder postcard before the Census Bureau follows-up in person Once received, respondents will be asked to answer the following Census Questions: • Number of people living in housing unit • Additional persons staying on April 1, 2020 not included above? SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 3 • House ownership or rental • Telephone number • Name of each person • Gender of each person • Age and birth date of each person • Hispanic origin of each person • Race of each person Depending on how respondents decide to take the Census, the following languages will be made available: Method LANGUAGES AVAILABLE Internet and Phone ● 12 Non-English Languages for Internet Self Response ● 13 Non-English Languages for Census Questionnaire Assistance: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Japanese Paper ● English ● Spanish Language Guides Language Glossaries Language Identification Card ● 59 Non-English Languages ● Language Guides include American Sign Language, braille, and large print Census Takers (non-response follow-up) ● English ● Spanish COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Since countywide census outreach and education efforts began in earnest in January 2019, the Marin Census Staff Team, led by Stephanie McNally of Canal Alliance, have conducted the following community outreach efforts: • 60 presentations • 65 community meetings • 27 trainings • 10 census jobs workshops FISCAL IMPACT: This item is an informational presentation. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept the report.