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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/14/2020 Item 01, Hermann/JohnsonCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum File Path - https://slocitycloud.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/SLOHub/Administration/Council%20Memos/ER78aDGtEWJNixNvzKdO 24wBe64uTzJUDOagxUv5hEhAtA DATE: 1/10/2020 TO: City Council FROM: Greg Hermann, Deputy City Manager VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager PREPARED BY: Ryan Betz, Assistant to the City Manager Georgina Bailey, Management Fellow SUBJECT: US 2020 Census and the Role of the City of San Luis Obispo The US 2020 Census (Census) official count date is April 1, 2020, but the preparation for the count has already began and the City of San Luis Obispo (City) plays an important role in ensuring an accurate count. The County of San Luis Obispo is the lead government agency for the Census and is working with all seven cities, community-based organizations, school districts, Cuesta College, Cal Poly, etc. The County has received $70,000 from the state for Census 2020 outreach, education and marketing efforts. Verdin has been hired to lead this effort and a Census implementation plan was presented at the December 10, 2019 Board of Supervisors meeting. County staff will present that implementation plan to the City Council on January 14, 2020. This memo provides additional background ahead of that presentation, specifically on the importance of the Census, the regional approach, and role of the City. 1. Importance of U.S Census The U.S Census is a direct mandate of the U.S Constitution that is upheld every 10 years in the form of an actual enumeration of the U.S population. The Census historically has been used quite simply to count the population. However, the Census has become an important tool of accurate data collection on the demographic information, geographic information, and census tracts of the population. The Census is used not only for data collection but is also used for apportionment and distribution of important funding. The Census will initially collect responses beginning in mid- March when letters are sent to approximately 95% of homes around the country. With the letter, households will receive a unique access code to fill out the survey online. Paper forms will be available for harder to reach communities, such as rural Alaska, and will be available for households with special circumstances. Census day is officially April 1st, 2020, which is a reference date for Census workers and enumerators, who after that day will have a more accurate idea of households who still need to be counted. Households will be sent multiple reminders to fill out the census, and in early April to late May households who have not completed the Census will be visited in person by enumerators to fill out the form. The Census has material available for linguistically diverse populations including but not limited to, multi- lingual enumerator instruments, multi-lingual paper questionnaire’s, multi-lingual online questionnaires and instructions. US 2020 Census and the Role of the City of San Luis Obispo Page 2 2. Regional Approach The overall goal and slogan for the Census is “Count everyone once, only one, and in the right place.” An emerging issue in previous completed census has been missing the Hard to Count (HTC) populations. The Census defines hard to count populations as individuals considered hard-to-locate; hard-to-contact; hard-to-persuade; and/or hard-to interview. The City of San Luis Obispo is part of a Census tract that has a large HTC population. Much of the HTC population in the City is attributed by students living on or near California State Polytechnic San Luis Obispo Campus (Cal Poly), and students living in households in the city who may be unclear how to report to the Census. The County of San Luis Obispo also has other Hard to Count populations, such as aging households, multi-lingual households, and group quarter households. 3. Role of the City As a regional partner, the City is committed to working collaborative with County, community- based organizations and Cal Poly to reach all residents of the community, including the Hard to Count populations. City staff have already met with these stakeholders in developing the County’s implementation plan including public education and outreach strategies. Specifically, the City is working with the County and Cal Poly to develop a communication strategy and deliverables for the Hard to Count population. The County is also hiring a communications firm to implement public education and outreach at a county-wide level. Both of these efforts will work together in tandem to ensure a greater public awareness of the Census and how important it is to the community. The primary goal for the collaboration with the City and Cal Poly is outreach to residents in hard-to-count housing within and surrounding the Cal Poly campus. The campus is included in Census Tract 109.01, which has an estimated population of nearly 11,000 and a Hard-to- Count Index of 86: more than double the statewide median of 37. This Index is the highest in SLO County. According to the Hard to Count 2020, the track is among the hardest to count in the entire country. These residents are primarily renters, in non-family households with a higher density, which are critical variables during a Census count. The City and Cal Poly are collaborating to count all students, both on and off campus. Cal Poly will count students living on campus through a method called Group Quarter Counting. The City and Cal Poly will work jointly to provide education and materials to students living in the city but are unsure of how or if they should complete the Census questionnaire from their city address. The City is committed to working with all stakeholders in the community to get an accurate count of the population in our area. Counting all households, including those deemed Hard to Count, will be key to accurately representing the California Central Coast in the 2020 Census. 4. Why does it Matter? The Census not only provides a wealth of population data but is also used to distribute federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities based on population totals. Every person counted in the City is factored into how over $675 billion per year in federal funds is distributed. Likewise, the Census guides apportionment, the process of dividing the 435 memberships, or seats, in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states, based on the state population counts that result from each decennial census. Furthermore, the Census will provide the most accurate population data to help aid policy makers, businesses, residents, community members etc. in decision making for the next decade.