Supreme Court Census Decision Applauded By Santa Clara County

SAN JOSE, CA — Hailing a legal victory, Santa Clara County deemed itself victorious after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the U.S. Census Bureau from including a question about citizenship status on the 2020 Census, county officials began counting the ways to urge all residents to participate in next year's Census.

The national count is tied to representation and funding for local jurisdictions, with their officials fearing a citizenship question would scare off some residents.

The largest county in the San Francisco Bay Area with a quarter of the population at more than 1.9 million, Santa Clara County was on the legal front lines of the battle.

In coordination with Los Angeles, the National League of Cities and nine other local jurisdictions, Santa Clara County filed an amicus brief in April encouraging the Supreme Court to bar the White House's attempt to undermine the accuracy of the Census by including the proposed citizenship question.

Forty percent of the county’s population is deemed foreign born.

Santa Clara County Counsel James Williams said he was "proud" of all those who helped in the legal victory. But the work is not over.

"We will work vigorously to the end," Williams said during a press conference called outside county offices shortly after the decision came down.

He was joined by a parade of like-minded officials and other dignitaries such as Matt Mahood, who heads the Silicon Valley organization representing the business community representing 1,200 company members with more than 300,000 workers in the region.

Mahood characterized the threat that "an undercount on the Census would have caused us to have bad information" — a concern for county officials trying to maintain a balanced budget and protection for its citizens.

“We celebrate today’s decision because the Census is about counting all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration status,” county Supervisor Dave Cortese said. “But tomorrow we must get back to work in order to attain our goal of a complete count of all residents."

To get people to participate, the county is waging a high stakes effort to secure each person living in the county is counted, it said in a statement reiterated during a press conference following the landmark Supreme Court ruling issued Thursday.

The county receives about $500 million in federal funds annually, based on Census data. The funds pay for essential services such as education and health care.

“The only way to ensure equal representation in Washington, D.C., is for every single Santa Clara County resident to be counted,” Supervisor Susan Ellenberg said. “The citizenship question’s exclusion from the Census fuels our efforts to empower individuals to participate in this constitutionally mandated program. All residents, regardless of immigration status, should participate in the Census in order for county residents to enjoy their fair share of federal resources.”

Over the past year, the county has engaged key community stakeholders on educational and outreach strategies that would secure an accurate count. Santa Clara County is considered one of the hardest jurisdictions in the United States to accurately count in the Census due to its sizable population of hard-to-count residents, which include children under the age of five, immigrants, and residents in high-density housing.

“The county of Santa Clara is relieved that the Supreme Court agreed with our position to exclude the citizenship question,” said Deputy County Executive David Campos, who oversees the Division of Equity and Social Justice under the Office of Immigrant Relations.

Campos relayed a crucial two-fold message.

"Don't be afraid," Campos said, calling out some who may shy away from being counted. In some respects, "the damage has already been done," he added of the threat.

“While the citizenship question is now blocked from appearing on the form, we recognize the Trump Administration has already caused some community members to fear Census participation, and we are ready to continue working as a community to support all residents in participating in the Census."

Census Day is April 1, 2020.

Those wanting to be involved in the county’s 2020 Census efforts may visit www.sccgov.org/census or email census@ceo.sccgov.org.

See also

• Santa Clara Co. Leads Supreme Court Challenge To Census Question

The sentiment expressed by one of California's largest counties was also provided by the state's Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“California has prepared for this moment. We are meeting this unprecedented census challenge with an unprecedented investment of $187 million dollars in outreach efforts to ensure an accurate and fair count. No other state in America comes close to the investment California is making," Newsom said in a statement.