For City Council Meeting [February 25, 2020]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Rod Foster, City Manager
FROM: Barbara A. McGee, City Clerk, CMC
Title
Request City Council to approve the contract between the County of San Bernardino and the City of Rialto to receive funding in the amount $45,000 for the Complete Count Census 2020 to provide services and outreach activities.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count all people residing in the United States through a national census every ten (10) years to ensure equal representation and fair allocation of government resources. The next National Census Day is April 1, 2020. The results of the census serve to assist in important community decisions like where to build homes, parks schools and roads and where to offer health, childcare, and transportation services.
California has historically been the hardest-to-count state in the nation. In 2016, about 75% of all Californians belonged to one or more groups that tend to be undercounted. The County of San Bernardino is home to many of these hard-to-count groups.
The 2010 Census undercounted 95,000 (or 0.26%) of California residents. Obtaining an accurate and complete count poses challenges due to several factors. The housing affordability crisis has forced more Californians to move into hard-to-count unconventional housing and overcrowded dwellings or to become homeless.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The 2020 Census is important because it advocates more resources for community members. The Census helps plan new communities and schools and creates jobs for the community. It is about redistricting, fair representation and fair shares of funding.
Large portions of the County of San Bernardino have historically been hard to count. In order to ensure a thorough count of all residents in 2020, the county strives to work with community partners to educate motivate and activate residents in participating...
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