In response to the announcement of shortened deadlines for the 2020 U.S. Census count, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas introduced an urgency motion at the Board of Supervisors meeting on August 4 to “ensure a fair and accurate Census count.”

Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 U.S. Census count for two weeks less than a week after it began to help prevent the spread, but by mid-April census officials encouraged all California households to complete the mailed questionnaire.

On Aug. 3, the unanticipated announcement regarding the Census deadlines was released, stating the deadlines would now be on Sept. 30, shortening the deadlines by more than a month.

The announcement prompted concern from the Board of Supervisors, fearing a possible undercount. “To be undercounted is to be underrepresented and to be underrepresented is to be under-funded—we cannot lose sight of what this means for L.A. County,” said Supervisor Ridley-Thomas.

The urgency motion includes a five-signature letter to the U.S Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census and U.S congressional leadership relaying the board’s concerns of an undercount. The County Council has also been directed to monitor the Bureau’s guidelines for data collection or join litigation in opposing the deadlines.

An undercount could severely affect the amount of federal government resources U.S. residents receive as well as the electoral district lines. In April, the Santa Clarita Independent Districting Committee was formed after the resolution that the 2020 November General Municipal Election woud now operate on a district-based system. The mapping of these districts could also be affected by an inaccurate census count.

Historically, the Los Angeles area has been difficult to conduct an accurate census in, given the amount of hard to reach and homeless populations. Additionally, a recent presidential memo excluding non-citizens from the census presents more challenges to an accurate count, especially in the L.A. area.

“One of the most important rights we have is our hard-won right to vote, a right integral to our democracy and directly related to the results of the Census. So we must make sure that we stand up for all to be counted,” said Ridley-Thomas.

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