92 Organizations Call for Additional Funding for 2020 Census Community-Based Outreach
Dear Governor Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Rendon:
On behalf of the Census Policy Advocacy Network (CPAN), a diverse coalition of 15 statewide organizations working to educate policymakers and community leaders about the government investment and sound policies needed to ensure a fair and accurate count in the 2020 Census, and the undersigned 77 organizations, we respectfully ask you to fund CBO outreach for the 2020 Census by $107.6 million in the 2018-19 budget, which we believe will help reach 14.7 million individuals living within and outside of hard-to-count (HTC) census tracts.
We were pleased to see the Governor’s commitment to an accurate 2020 Census count when he allocated $40.3 million for a statewide outreach program in his January budget proposal. However, in light of recent political and social developments, including the Secretary of Commerce’s decision to add an untested question about citizenship to the 2020 Census questionnaire, the Governor’s proposed funding allocation is insufficient for achieving an accurate census count in California. The state must step up, fund and build a robust outreach infrastructure in 2018-19 to, among other things, counter federal-level census policies that are already generating fear among some HTC residents who are concerned about how the government might use census data to harm and destroy families and communities.
Below is an analysis of our proposed request. The analysis shows that the cost for CBOs across the state to educate and encourage millions of HTC Californians to participate in the census will be $107.6 million, which is much higher than the $12.5 million proposed in the Governor’s budget. This estimate should be carefully considered before the 2018-19 budget is finalized in order to ensure that California is best positioned for a complete count and to receive its fair share of federal funding and congressional seats in the decade after 2020.
Analysis of California’s Hard-to-Count Population
An estimated 14.7 million Californians qualify as hard-to-count and thus are at risk of not participating in the 2020 Census (Table 1). 9.6 million of these Californians qualify as hard-to-count because they live in HTC census tracts, that is, census tracts that are difficult for the Census Bureau to enumerate accurately. The remaining 5 million Californians qualify as hard-to-count because, although they live outside of HTC census tracts, they fall into the broader category of HTC populations, that is, particular groups that are difficult for the Bureau to enumerate accurately. The Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations (NAC) claims that HTC populations include but are not limited to:
- Racial and ethnic minorities;
- People with limited English proficiency;
- People who earn lower incomes;
- People who are homeless;
- Undocumented immigrants;
- Young people who are mobile;
- Children;
- People who are angry at and/or distrust the government; and
- People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.[1]
Table 1. California’s Hard-to-Count (HTC) Population by Race and Hispanic Origin[2]
Population Living inside HTC Tracts
HTC Population Living outside HTC Tracts
Total Target HTC Population
Latino/Hispanic
5,064,000
1,947,157
7,011,157
Non-Hispanic White
2,568,000
987,932
3,555,932
Asian American
1,140,000
1,256,592
2,396,592
Black/African American
1,025,000
125,673
1,150,673
Native American
199,000
513,741
712,741
Pacific Islander
79,000
205,692
284,692
State Totals
9,667,000
5,036,787
14,703,787
Generally, residents in HTC census tracts and HTC populations more broadly are difficult for the Census Bureau to count because they are less likely to self-respond to the census questionnaire and less likely to respond to enumerators sent by the Bureau to speak with non-self-responding households. Some of the suspected reasons for these lower levels of likelihood cut across all or most racial and ethnic groups. For example, according to the NAC, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders are all more likely than Non-Hispanic Whites to have higher levels of distrust and/or fear of government.[3] By contrast, some of the suspected reasons are specific to particular racial and ethnic groups. Lower levels of English proficiency, for instance, are more prevalent among Asian Americans and Latinos.
Best Practices and Tactics:
Motivating the millions of HTC residents to participate in the 2020 Census will require robust and coordinated outreach by individuals who can validate government messages and alleviate anxiety about responding to the questionnaire or enumerator. These individuals are commonly referred to as “trusted messengers.” Trusted messengers will be especially important given the Trump Administration’s recent decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census questionnaire. The addition of that question, which unlike other questions for the 2020 Census has not been tested by the Census Bureau under current conditions, will exacerbate fear in immigrant communities across the country and potentially depress census participation rates. This is particularly concerning for California, which has the largest percentage of foreign-born residents of any state (27%). If immigrants in California, whether documented, undocumented, or of mixed-status families, refuse to self-respond to the census questionnaire out of fear about how the citizenship data might be used, then the state’s population count will be highly inaccurate. Trusted messengers will be key to avoiding this outcome.
Since the first state-based census outreach effort in 2000, the state has recognized CBOs as vital sources of trusted messengers and census education. CBOs usually have deep relationships with and knowledge of HTC populations, which is what makes them a vital source of trusted messengers. They also usually have experience operating various types of outreach programs, which is what makes them a vital source of census education.
Census outreach by CBOs includes but is not limited to the following activities:
- Neighborhood (door-to-door) canvassing;
- Digital campaigns through smartphones;
- Social media messaging;
- Community forums and other community presence activities;
- Phone banking;
- Public service announcements;
- Location and staffing for Questionnaire Assistance Centers;
- Materials development; and
- Train the trainer activities.
While an organization may use all of these activities, customized approaches will be necessary for different populations. For example, given that Asian Americans, African immigrants, and Latinos have higher levels of limited English proficiency, language accessibility is a barrier; therefore, effective material development will require appropriate translation of materials. Similarly, outreach to Native Americans must account for unique geographic circumstances, since Native Americans are more widely dispersed across urban and rural areas than other populations.
Additionally, even within populations, customized approaches will be necessary. Some African Americans, for instance, will be reached effectively through activities like social media messaging and community forums, whereas African
Americans living in severely economically distressed neighborhoods will need more intensive outreach that includes phone banking and door-to-door canvassing.
Taking these and other factors into consideration, we believe that effectively reaching HTC residents across the state through CBO outreach will cost $107.6 million. This amount derives from cost-per-person estimates specifically for CBO outreach. These cost-per-person estimates are based on factors including but not limited to: the cost of specific outreach activities, the cost to conduct those activities in ways targeted to specific HTC populations, staffing, operating costs, technology, travel, and translation.
In light of this analysis, the current expenditure of $12.5 million for CBO outreach in the Governor’s proposed 2018-19 budget is insufficient to conduct the level outreach needed to California’s HTC populations; therefore, we respectfully ask the legislature to augment this funding by $95.1 million, for a total of $107.6 million.
Thank you for your consideration and all of the undersigned organizations looks forward to working with you and your staff on moving this proposal forward. Please contact Khydeeja Alam Javid with Advancement Project California if you have any questions. She can be reached at kalam@advanceproj.org or 831-245-8391.
Sincerely,
A New Way of Life
ACLU of California
Advancement Project California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
African American Civic Engagement Project (a project of California Calls)
Alliance for a Better Community
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council
Black Organizing Project
Black Women For Wellness
BLU Educational Foundation
Brotherhood Crusade
Building Blocks For Kids
California Association of Nonprofits (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
California Black Women’s Health Project
California Calls (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
California Common Cause
California Native Vote Project (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN)
California Partnership
Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE)
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
Center for the Pacific Asian Family
Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC)
Children Now (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
CityServe of the Tri-Valley
CLUE: Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Community Foundation of San Joaquin
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement
Cope Family Center
Council on American Islamic Relations – California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Disability Rights California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Equality California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara County
Fathers & Families of San Joaquin
First 5 Association of California
Food for People
Gente Organizada
Hospice of Amador & Calaveras
Housing California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Human Response Network, Inc.
Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs
Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC)
Inland Empowerment
Korean Resource Center
League of California Community Foundations
League of Women Voters of California
Legacy LA Youth Development Corporation
Los Angeles Community Action Network
Mi Familia Vota Education Fund (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
NALEO Educational Fund (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
NextGen California
OCCORD
Opening Doors, Inc.
Pacific Asian Counseling Services
Pacoima Beautiful
Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans
PDAP of Ventura County, Inc.
Peninsula Family Service
Peoples’ Self-Help Housing
Pesticide Action Network North America
Philanthropy California
PICO California (Census Policy Advocacy Network)
Pillars of the Community
Policy Link
River City Food Bank
Rock the Vote
Sacramento Region Community Foundation
Safe Return Project
Self-Help for the Elderly
Shasta Regional Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Spectrum Community Services, Inc.
Starting Over, Inc.
Street Level Health Project
Strive Booster Club
The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County
The Coalition of Orange County Community Health Centers
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley
The Red Shoe Project, Inc
Time for Change Foundation
TODEC Legal Center
United Cambodian Community
United Ways of California
Urban Advocates & Achievers
Urban Peace Institute
Walnut Ave Family & Women’s Center
Warehouse Worker Resource Center
CC: Members, California State Senate
Members, California State Assembly
Dan Torres, Director of Immigrant Integration for Governor Brown
Ditas Katague, Director of Complete Count Census
[1] U.S. Census Bureau, National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations, Administrative Records, Internet, and Hard to Count Population Working Group: Final Report, available at: https://www2.census.gov/cac/nac/reports/2016-07-admin_internet-wg-report.pdf.
[2] U.S. Census Bureau, National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations, Administrative Records, Internet, and Hard to Count Population Working Group: Final Report, available at: https://www2.census.gov/cac/nac/reports/2016-07-admin_internet-wg-report.pdf.
[3] Population data for residents living inside HTC census tracts comes from Counting All Californians in the 2020 Census by Dr. William P. O’Hare, available at: https://censusproject.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/calif-report-10-16-2017_format-final.pdf. For the third column (HTC Population Living outside HTC Tracts), the population numbers comprise Latino noncitizens, Non-Hispanic Whites living below the poverty line, Asian Americans with limited English proficiency, African Americans living below the poverty line, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. The data for these populations come from multiple Census Bureau datasets, such as the 2010 Census and American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The details of the columns do not sum to the total because some people are included in more than one group if they selected more than one racial group and/or selected Hispanic. Individuals are included in more than one group in an effort to be inclusive and follow recommendations from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB definitions on race and ethnicity are available at: https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html.