Economics

The 2020 Census: Why It’s Important

Published

7 years ago

November 21, 2019

Editor’s Note: The POST Newspaper Group, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, will publish a series of articles on the upcoming 2020 census. Readers can look forward to future articles that will provide more specific information on the census.

Tired of dealing with the potholes in your community? Wondering why there are not enough social services available in your neighborhood?

It may be because of an inaccurate census count due to hundreds of individuals who didn’t participate, and your city received less federal funding for much-needed services than it should have.

The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a census count in thousands of cities, towns and communities across the nation affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The U.S. has counted its population every 10 years since 1790. The purpose of the census is three-fold:

• Accurate census counts help determine how billions of dollars in federal funding flow into states and communities each year.

• The results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets.

• It’s mandated by the U. S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 2.

Norman Brown, who currently works in Alameda County’s Census Office, has participated in every census since 1960, and has held a wide range of positions with the agency, ranging from a clerk to managing all field operations, a post which is second in command at every census office.

“When you respond to the census, your answers are kept anonymous,” said Brown. “They are used only to produce statistics. The U.S Census Bureau is bound by law to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. The law ensures that your private information is never published and that your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. The raw data and personal information will not be released to the public for 72 years, or in 2092. Confidentiality is a very important in census taking.”

The 2020 United States Census will be the nation’s twenty-fourth census. National Census Day, the reference used for the census, will be April 1, 2020. It will be the first U.S. census to offer options to respond online or by phone, in addition to the option to respond on a paper form as with previous census. In 2020, the United States population is expected to be 333,546,000, an 8.03 percent increase from the 2010 Census.

Brown says that participating in the census is not only vitally important for neighborhoods, it also provides good, temporary, part-time work for hundreds of thousands of people,

“The Bureau will be recruiting and making job offers to thousands of potential employees during January and February 2020,” said Brown. “Census employees working throughout Alameda County can expect to receive a minimum of $20.00 per hour.”

To be eligible for a 2020 Census job, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age.

• Have a valid social security number.

• Be a U.S. citizen.

• Have a valid email address.

• Complete an application and answer assessment questions.

• Be registered with the Selective Service System or have a qualifying exemption, if you are a male born after Dec. 31, 1959.

• Pass a census-performed criminal background check and a review of criminal records, including fingerprinting.

• Commit to complete training.

• Be available to work flexible hours, which can include days, evenings, and/or weekends.

By Clifford L. Williams

Posts by By Clifford L. Williams

Related Topics:2020 census By Clifford L. Williams The POST Newspaper Group U.S. Census Bureau

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Activism

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses. The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, was one of the speakers at the event. Photo by Shellee Fisher Photography and Design.

By Calvin Naito, Special to The Post

On June 4, a national nonprofit named the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) – which aims to increase public construction contracting opportunities for small and historically underutilized businesses – held a day-long event in downtown San Francisco to rally supporters and build momentum to its cause.

It was attended by more than 100 individuals from public agencies, private firms, and other organizations committed to increasing contracting opportunities with governmental agencies, thereby creating more competition and lowering public costs.

The EIP event was held the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in conjunction with BuildIT, which aims to increase contracting opportunities for LGBT-owned businesses.

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses.

The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Following the workshop, BuildIT hosted a VIP evening reception honoring EIP, whose principals – Phil Washington, John Procari, and Rick Jacobs – accepted the award.

The event also set in motion the coalition’s efforts to implement recommendations from EIP’s “Procurement for Prosperity: A Playbook.”

The Playbook is a practical guide for public agency leaders and procurement and contracting practitioners to grow the capacity of small and first-time contractors, strengthen competition, and deliver better value for taxpayers.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), a long-time EIP supporter, also told attendees, “This is about commitment. This has been a life’s work. This is a tailwind moment.”

The event’s presenting sponsor was Hub International, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the nation, which was joined by partners Travelers Insurance and the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

After the pledge-signing ceremony, attendees participated in a workshop in which they examined the policies, practices, and programs needed to meet EIP goals, learned from practitioners, and identified next steps toward utilizing the Playbook.

Ingrid Meriwether, formerly of Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services (MWIS) and current president of Hub International’s Aligned Risk Management, MWIS, described the hard-fought lessons she and her MWIS team have learned over the last three decades administering contractor development programs (CDPs) for the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, City of Los Angeles, LA Metro, and other municipalities.

The CDPs help small and local construction firms win public infrastructure contracts with these government agencies. The program provides bonding assistance, contract financing, technical support, training, and other services to underrepresented businesses funded by public agencies who seek greater contracting participation with these firms.

Merriwether said programs like these “break down systemic barriers, create greater fairness, and save taxpayers money by enabling more competition. The contractor development programs have, cumulatively, over two decades, helped contractors access over $1 billion in bonding, supporting over $380 million in awarded contracts, and maintaining a loss ratio 250 times lower than the industry average – while saving participating municipalities more than $27 million in contracting costs as a result of enabling more competition.”

Rick Jacobs, EIP co-founder and co-chair urged attendees make plans to meet again in the near future “to continue building on this work, share progress on organizational commitments, and discuss how we can collectively advance the goals of the EIP pledge.”

For more information on the EIP and to access a copy of the Playbook, go online to https://equityininfrastructure.org/

Calvin Naito is communications manager for Equity in Infrastructure Project.