• Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archive
  • Contact
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Find us
San Diego Uptown News
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Film
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Feature
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • SD Zoo News
  • Food & Drink
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • History
      • PastMatters
    • Homes & Garden
      • HouseCalls
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Parenting
    • Pets
  • Business
    • Best Of Uptown
    • Business Profiles
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Sponsored links
    • Expert Advice
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Balboa Park
    • Bankers Hill
    • Downtown
    • Golden Hill
    • Hillcrest
    • Kensington
    • Mission Hills
    • North Park
    • Normal Heights
    • Old Town
    • South Park
    • Talmadge
    • University Heights
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Film
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Feature
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Chris Ward
        • Mara Elliott
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • SD Zoo News
  • Food & Drink
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • History
      • PastMatters
    • Homes & Garden
      • HouseCalls
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Parenting
    • Pets
  • Business
    • Best Of Uptown
    • Business Profiles
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Sponsored links
    • Expert Advice
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Balboa Park
    • Bankers Hill
    • Downtown
    • Golden Hill
    • Hillcrest
    • Kensington
    • Mission Hills
    • North Park
    • Normal Heights
    • Old Town
    • South Park
    • Talmadge
    • University Heights
  • Calendar
  • Experts
No Result
View All Result
San Diego Uptown News
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Why the U.S. census matters

SDCNN by SDCNN
November 16, 2018
in Featured, Notes from Toni, Politics
0
Why the U.S. census matters

(Wikipedia)

2
SHARES
43
VIEWS

By Toni G. Atkins | Notes from Toni

After Election Day, the clock will start ticking on another hugely important matter of public policy: the 2020 U.S. census. Most Americans don’t realize just how important the census is to effective governing. It paints a picture of America — who we are, what we look like, and what our needs are — and that picture is a key factor in determining the distribution of political power and resources in our country.

Not only does the census shape our local, state and congressional representation; it also decides California’s share of approximately $600 billion in funds to state and local governments for education, Medicaid, and other health programs, highways, housing, law enforcement and much more.

If we want an accurate picture — one that truly reflects who we are as a nation and gives each of us a voice in our democracy — we need a complete count of every person who calls America home.

For most of American history, the census has been a relatively ordinary, nonpartisan exercise. The Constitution calls for a periodic count of every person in America, and the census has been conducted every decade since 1790, mostly without controversy.

But this time, things are different. The federal government wants to add a citizenship question for every American household for the first time in nearly 70 years. On the surface, that sounds straightforward enough. But if you read between the lines, it is clear this decision could have devastating consequences.

In this national political climate, marked by fear and disdain for immigrants reminiscent of some of the darkest chapters in American history, adding a citizenship question would undoubtedly result in lower response rates for immigrant communities, undocumented or otherwise.

This cynical effort is being challenged in federal court. But no matter the end result of those lawsuits, we need to start preparing now to ensure all Californians are counted, our voice in Congress is protected, and we don’t lose out on billions of dollars in federal funding vital for our communities.

California stands to lose more than any other state if we don’t have a thorough census. We have more “hard to count” communities than any other state, including people of color, immigrants and families in rural communities. Kids are especially vulnerable; about 4.5 million young children live in neighborhoods with a high risk of an undercount. Records show the last U.S. census failed to count almost 1 million children younger than age 5. In order to give our kids the support they need in our schools, health care systems and countless other areas, we need to make sure they are counted.

If we don’t get an accurate count of all California residents, in addition to a loss of federal funding, we could potentially lose a seat in Congress, meaning our most vulnerable communities would have even less representation.

Fortunately, time is still on our side. Working closely with Governor Jerry Brown and my colleagues in the Legislature, we are taking steps to ensure we have every resource necessary to count all of our communities. But just like voting, the responsibility ultimately falls on all of us. So when you get that census questionnaire in the mail in the coming months, I hope you will take the opportunity to make sure your family is part of the American picture.

Toni G. Atkins

If you have any questions about the U.S. census, email Senator.Atkins@sen.ca.gov or call 619-645-3133.

—Toni G. Atkins is the Speaker Emeritus of the California State Assembly. For more information, please visit her website, asmdc.org/members/a78 where you can sign up for her e-newsletter or get the latest news on legislation and other activities. You also may follow her on Twitter, @toniatkins.

Related Posts

  • From Downtown thrift store to busy retail operationFrom Downtown thrift store to busy retail operation
  • North Park man finds meaning as a CASA volunteerNorth Park man finds meaning as a CASA volunteer
  • 20-story residential building opens in Bankers Hill20-story residential building opens in Bankers Hill
  • Watch Heels Season 1 Episode 5 ‘Swerve’ Online fullWatch Heels Season 1 Episode 5 ‘Swerve’ Online full
  • Letter To the EditorLetter To the Editor
  • Can I File for Bankruptcy More Than Once in California?Can I File for Bankruptcy More Than Once in California?
Tags: American picturefederal governmentGovernor Jerry BrownNotes from ToniToni AtkinsU.S. CensusUnited States
Previous Post

Letting in the light on Ray Street

Next Post

An alluring melancholy

Next Post
An alluring melancholy

An alluring melancholy

Category

  • Adams Avenue
  • Art
  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Balboa Park
  • Bankers Hill
  • Bars & Happy Hours
  • Best Of Uptown
  • Books
  • Business
  • Business Profiles
  • Calendar
  • Community
  • Community Profile
  • Community Updates
  • Community Voices
  • Congressional Watch
  • D3 Update
  • Dance
  • District 53 Dispatch
  • Downtown
  • Editorials
  • Elected Official Reports
  • Expert Advice
  • Fashion
  • Feature
  • Featured
  • Featured News
  • Film
  • Finance
  • Five Points-Middletown
  • Food & Drink
  • From the Cover
  • Golden Hill
  • Guest Editorial
  • Health & Fitness
  • Hillcrest
  • Hillcrest Town Council update
  • History
  • Homes & Garden
  • HouseCalls
  • Kensington
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Lifestyle
  • Mara Elliott
  • Mission Hills
  • Music
  • Neighborhoods
  • News
  • News & Features
  • Normal Heights
  • North Park
  • Notes from Toni
  • Old Town
  • Opinion
  • Parenting
  • PastMatters
  • Pets
  • Photography
  • Politics
  • Real Estate
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • SD Zoo News
  • Small Business
  • South Park
  • Suds in the city
  • Summer Stephan
  • Talmadge
  • The Spoken Word
  • Theater
  • Top Story
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • University Heights
  • Uptown Brews
  • Uptown Briefs
  • Uptown Food Briefs

Site Links

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Photography
    • Music
    • Books
    • Dance
    • Film
    • Theater
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
    • Feature
  • Food & Drink
    • Bars & Happy Hours
    • Uptown Food Briefs
    • Suds in the city
    • Uptown Brews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Business
    • Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Expert Advice
      • Sponsored Links
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Fashion
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • History
  • Neighborhoods
    • Adams Avenue
    • Bankers Hill
    • Balboa Park
    • Old Town
    • Kensington
    • University Heights
    • Normal Heights
    • South Park
    • Mission Hills
    • Community Updates
      • Hillcrest Town Council update
      • HouseCalls
      • SD Zoo News
  • Best Of Uptown
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertising
  • Archive

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

desi sex
forced sex stories
desi chut