The County of Santa Cruz and the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County are pleased to announce an expanded 2020 Census website.
Residents wishing to learn more about 2020 Census activities or get involved can visit http://www.santacruzcountycounts.us. The site offers information about the importance of the Census, the local Complete Count Committee, opportunities to volunteer and even find a job with the Census Bureau, a community-based calendar of events for local Census-related events and a countdown clock to the 2020 Census.
“The Census gives us an opportunity for all voices to be heard and counted,” said Maria Elena de la Garza, executive director of the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County. “It is critically important how we engage with all sectors of the community to cultivate and reinforce the message that everybody matters and can exercise their right to be counted.”
The 2020 Census will be the first to rely heavily on online responses. The Census guides more than $675 billion in annual funding, including $77 billion in California alone. Uncounted persons can cost communities thousands of dollars over the next decade. Responding to the Census helps create jobs, provide housing, prepare for emergencies, build schools, roads and hospitals, and much more.
California includes a large number of populations considered at risk of being undercounted. Those include foreign-born residents, renters, individuals living in homes without Internet access, people living close to or below the poverty line, and young children. Under federal law, all information collected is strictly confidential.
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Residents can also follow Census activities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SantaCruzCountyCounts or on Twitter at @Census2020_SCC.