U.S. Census 2020 Countdown Welcomed by Santa Clara Co. This Week

SAN JOSE, CA -- The one-year countdown to Census 2020 has begun.

Santa Clara County will host the U.S. Census Bureau, governmental agencies, nonprofits, and community partners on April 2 to address critical issues before the Census launch.

“The county of Santa Clara relies on almost $500 million in annual census-based funds to provide critical services to its residents,” said Nick Kuwada, Census 2020 program manager for the county. “The consequences of an incomplete count would be enormous for the county and its residents because it would lead to less funding for roads, healthcare and other vital services the community relies on.”

U.S. Census representatives will join the county at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Mexican Heritage Plaza located at 1700 Alum Rock Ave. in San Jose

For the first time in history, the Census will be conducted primarily online instead of by mail. Santa Clara County residents will have four methods for response: internet, phone, paper form or in-person.

More than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed annually based on census data. Of that amount, California receives over $76 billion.

Moreover, congressional representation is based on census data.

The Census has prompted a variety of concerns over questions ranging from immigration status to sexual orientation. Other challenges the Santa Clara County cites involve:

• Fewer than seven in 10 households said they intend to fill out the census form.
• Locally, the hard-to-reach populations have a census response rate of less than 70 percent; including older adults, individuals with disabilities, immigrants and refugees.
• The federal government has reduced funding that assists with getting an accurate census count, limiting the manpower to contact residents about the census.