Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) highlighted a new congressional report detailing the dire costs of a Census undercount in California’s 40th Congressional District.  Census data is used for determining how much funding the 40th District receives for critical services like education, medical care, foster care, roads, public transit, and job programs.  Census data also helps local governments enhance public safety and prepare for emergencies.
 
The new report, which can be read here, details that if there is just a 1% undercount in the 2020 Census, the residents of California’s 40th District could lose nearly $420,000 in federal funding for schools that have a high proportion of low-income students.  That $420,000 funding loss would be the equivalent of all the textbooks that 1,678 students would need in a school year.  A 1% Census undercount could also cost 40th District residents $280,000 in federal funding for job training centers and career counseling.  The report also finds that approximately 46% of people in the 40th District live in communities that were hard to count in the 2010 Census.  The report was prepared by the staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
 
“This report reminds us that a complete Census count is essential to our district’s future,” said Rep. Roybal-Allard.  “As we face a devastating public health crisis and a massive global economic downturn, we need that full Census count to ensure our community has the funding we are entitled to for critical services like education, medical care, and job programs.  A Census undercount could also give our communities less of a voice at every level of government – including the congressional level, where important federal funding decisions are made.  I urge every 40th District household to fill out their Census form today, and help our communities secure our fair share of funding for the next decade.”
 
Based on data from the 2017 American Community Survey, if populations in the 40th District are undercounted by the same percentage as they were nationally in 2010, the 2020 Census would miss over 8,500 Hispanics, over 2,450 young children, over 840 African Americans, and over 320 American Indians and Native Alaskans.
 
Households can complete the Census by filling out the forms they received in the mail; they can also fill out the Census online at my2020census.gov, or call 844-330-2020 (for English), 844-468-2020 (for Spanish), or any of the other numbers on this page for assistance in other languages.  The 2020 Census has only 12 questions and does not ask about citizenship.  Answers are private and confidential.
 
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