Contra Costa County is announcing the one-year countdown to the 2020 United States Census with a “Complete Count” celebration Tuesday at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano in Concord.
Monday marks one year until Census Day, the day that the U.S. Census Bureau will take a count of every person living in the United State. This procedure takes place every 10 years.
“Census 2020 impacts every Contra Costa resident in how each of us is served and represented,” said Board Chairperson Supervisor John Gioia.
“That’s why the county and our Complete Count Steering Committee are launching a major public engagement effort to make sure everyone is counted,” he said. “We want to ensure a complete and accurate count so that both California and Contra Costa County receive our fair share of government resources.”
“This event begins our one-year countdown to Census Day,” said Supervisor Diane Burgis, chairperson of the 2020 Census Contra Costa County Complete Count Steering Committee.
“Preparations have been going on for a couple of years now, and I’m excited to kick off outreach activities at the local level to make sure Contra Costa is not shortchanged in much-needed federal and state resources and representation,” she said.
Many households will receive communication from the U.S. Census Bureau starting in March 2020, according to the county’s announcement.
The Census count determines how many representatives each state has in Congress and how more than $675 billion in federal funds would be distributed to tribal, state and local governments each year.
According to information provided by George Washington University, for every person not counted, California and its local governments would lose an estimated $2,000 per person each year.
The County Steering Committee’s census kick-off will start at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Food Bank at 4010 Nelson Ave., Concord.
The event includes brief speeches, and a service project to support the Food Bank and the community it serves and to highlight the importance of partnerships that will help people in Contra Costa learn about and participate in the Census next year.
“It is critical that we work together along with other community leaders and partners to reach out to people who may not be aware of the census, or who may be reluctant to respond,” Burgis said.
