As census deadline nears, WeHo officials say ‘get counted’

Independent Staff Report

WEST HOLLYWOOD — The city is continuing to urge residents to be counted in the 2020 Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau has announced that census counting will cease Sept. 30. Currently, the response rate for households in the state is approximately 68% and the response rate for households in West Hollywood is approximately 63%, an increase of just three percentage points since this time last month.

Community members who have not yet completed the Census can quickly and easily take the census in approximately five minutes online at https://census.ca.gov/. The simple survey is just nine questions long and census responses shape determinations for vital funding for local communities through the year 2030.

This year, for the first time, the census form is available online in 13 languages. Community members may also respond by phone in one of 13 languages, including by Telecommunication Device for the Deaf, at one of the phone numbers listed on the California Census 2020 website.

Community members who filled out census forms in 2010 provided the federal government with a roadmap. That decade-old data is being put into action during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been used to distribute federal funding to Los Angeles County and much-needed economic relief for working families and small businesses.

The city is working to ensure that community members are able to access important services such as care in health clinics, seniors programs, LGBTQ services, food programs and assistance to people who are experiencing homelessness by encouraging participation in Census 2020.

The U.S. Constitution mandates that a complete national population count be conducted every 10 years. The 2020 Census will decide how billions of federal dollars are distributed in California. An undercount could impact funding for schools, health services, child care, emergency services and many other programs.

The census also will decide the number of California’s congressional members and Electoral College votes.