WHEREAS, The federal Census Bureau is required by Congress, pursuant to its authority under Section 2 of Article I of the United States Constitution, to conduct an accurate count of the population every 10 years; and

WHEREAS, The next enumeration is scheduled for April 1, 2020, and will be the first to rely heavily on online responses; and

WHEREAS, The primary and perpetual challenge facing the federal Census Bureau is the undercount of certain population groups; and

WHEREAS, That challenge is amplified in California, given the size of the state and the diversity of communities; and

WHEREAS, California has a large percentage of individuals that are considered traditionally hard to count; and

WHEREAS, These diverse communities and populations are at risk of being missed in the 2020 Decennial Census; and

WHEREAS, California receives nearly seventy-seven billion dollars ($77,000,000,000) in federal funding per year that is based, in part, on census data; and

WHEREAS, A complete and accurate count of California’s population is essential; and

WHEREAS, The data collected by the decennial census determines the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives and is used to distribute billions of dollars in federal funds to state and local governments; and

WHEREAS, Census data is also used in the redistricting of state legislatures, county boards of supervisors, and city councils; and

WHEREAS, The 2020 Decennial Census is a massive undertaking that requires cross-sector collaboration and partnership in order to achieve a complete and accurate count; and

WHEREAS, California’s leaders have dedicated an historic amount of funding and resources to ensure every Californian is counted once, only once, and in the right place; and

WHEREAS, This commitment of funding and resources includes supporting coordination between tribal, city, county, state governments, community-based organizations, educational institutions, and many more; and

WHEREAS, The federal Census Bureau faces several challenges with the 2020 Decennial Census, including a constrained fiscal environment, rapidly changing use of technology, declining response rates, and an increasingly diverse and mobile population, and thus support from partners and stakeholders is critical; and

WHEREAS, California is kicking off its outreach and engagement efforts in April 2019 for the 2020 Decennial Census; and

WHEREAS, The Senate, in partnership with other local governments, the state, businesses, schools, and community organizations, is committed to robust outreach and communication strategies, focusing on reaching the hardest-to-count individuals; now, therefore, be it