The United States Census has extended the deadline for self-completion of the Census form to August 14 as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I urge all Californians to take this extended time to visit the Census website, call the Census department to complete the form by phone, or mail-in the physical form – it takes 10 minutes to complete using any of these platforms.
Census takers will begin to visit households that did not meet the August deadline to submit their responses in September.
Your participation is crucial as funding associated with 2020 Census data will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into California communities every year for the next decade. Federal funding from Census data helps pay for:
- Medi-Cal and Medicaid for seniors
- Section 8 housing vouchers
- Supplemental Nutrition Programs (SNAP/CalFresh)
- State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP)
- Foster Care, the National School Lunch Program and Special Education Grants
The census will NEVER ask for your social security number, your bank account or credit card information. Additionally, the Census does not ask about a participant’s immigration or citizen status.
My colleagues and I in the Legislature passed emergency funding to ensure our schools, our medical services and our workforce have the tools and resources they need to be safe and able to function during this time. As Chair of the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, I have fought to maintain support to first responders, including fire and law enforcement agencies. These actions have been done so we can continue to feed our student population and protect vulnerable communities. Our efforts at the state level have been successful, in part, because of resources provided as a result of the last Census. If we fail to complete the 2020 Census forms resources over the next 10 years may not be available to get through other crisis’ in the future. Therefore, I am imploring all residents to take the time to support critical community programs by simply filling out the census document.
To complete the form online visit https://my2020census.gov/. To complete the form over the phone, please call 1-844-330-2020. And to mail a completed form back to the Census, simply fill out the form mailed to your residence and return by mail as soon as possible.
Our communities and State are counting on us to be counted - please take the time to finish the Census questionnaire today.
Thank you,
Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer
59th District