The County of Sonoma and United Way of the Wine Country to Host Census 2020 Kick-off Event

The County of Sonoma and United Way of the Wine Country will host a local Complete Count Committee kick-off event as part of their commitment to support a full and accurate count of Sonoma County residents in the decennial 2020 census.

Every 10 years the Federal government is required to count everyone living in the United States; the next count will occur on April 1, 2020. The population totals from this census will determine congressional representation and funding allocation for the next ten years. Approximately $675 billion in federal funding is distributed to states and communities each year based on census data.

On January 29, 2019, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to opt in for funding from the State to facilitate local Census 2020 outreach efforts focusing on the hard-to-count ( HTC) communities living in Sonoma County. “The data collected through this census will inform us about how our community is changing, and where to focus our efforts and investments to their benefit,” said Supervisor David Rabbitt, Chairman of the Board of

United Way of the Wine Country (UWWC) joined the effort by partnering with the California Complete Count – Census 2020 initiative for Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties. UWWC will serve as the region’s Administrative Community Based Organization (ACBO).

“United Way of the Wine Country is committed to a fair 2020 census because if our community is not fully counted in the 2020 census, we will miss out on investments and resources that we need and deserve such as better health care, education, and accurate political representation,” said Lisa Carreno, President of United Way of the Wine Country. “An accurate count is the first step in making sure our community has good jobs, roads, schools, and adequate resources now and in the future.”

United Way of the Wine Country and the County of Sonoma will work in coordination to create the Sonoma Complete Count Committee (SCCC) with local stakeholders working with hard-to-count populations. Both agencies encourage participation in this event, which will include presentations by the California Complete Count Office, the US Census Bureau, United Way of the Wine County, and the County of Sonoma. This will be an opportunity to learn about the advantages and challenges of the first electronic census, and hear about outreach plans to educate, motivate, and activate responses from all Sonoma County residents.

The kick-off event will start with a press conference promptly at 11:00 a.m., followed by an informational session at 12:00 p.m..

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