Inglewood, Torrance Form Panels to Obtain Better Count in Census

Committees have formed in two South Bay cities to persuade hard-to-reach residents that filling out the 1990 Census questionnaire is an important civic duty.

Inglewood last week joined Torrance in setting up “complete-count committees” aimed at promoting the 1990 Census among groups that are traditionally under-represented in the decennial head count: ethnic minorities, illegal aliens, individuals who don’t speak English and the homeless.

It’s a somewhat self-serving proposition by the cities, since the greater the population, the more funds they receive.

Inglewood officials estimate that every additional person counted in the census will bring the city about $650 over the next decade in state tax revenues, which are distributed on the basis of population.

If Inglewood were to discover 2,000 of the estimated 6,000 to 8,000 residents not counted in 1980, for example, it would receive $1.3 million during the decade.

“Not even at the horse races do you get that kind of return,” Inglewood Councilman Jose Fernandez said. “Not even the best consultant on Wall Street can get that.”

In 1980, an estimated 4.6% of the general population was not counted in the city of Los Angeles, including 9% of blacks, 7% of Latinos and 4% of Asians, according to the Census Bureau; all were higher than the undercount for the nation as a whole.

The Census Bureau has 35 workers throughout California to drum up support for the count among city officials and residents. The census will be conducted from April 1 to June 30. Other South Bay communities where officials are trying to promote a bigger count are Carson, Wilmington, San Pedro and Gardena. But only Inglewood an Torrance have municipal committees appointed to help them.

Although $39 billion in federal funds come to California based on population data, South Bay census workers say they have found varying degrees of enthusiasm as they pitch their message.

When Inglewood launched its 12-to-15-member committee Tuesday and agreed to spend up to $30,000 in census promotion, Census Bureau specialist Wanda Flagg wondered why it took the city so long.

Flagg, whose territory stretches from the Santa Monica foothills south to Lennox, said Inglewood officials were “very laid back” about the census when she set up an office in City Hall for several months last year. “They weren’t as gung-ho as some of the other cities,” she said.

But Fernandez said Inglewood’s committee has been planned for six months. He also said the $30,000 proves that “we’re putting our money where our mouth is.”

Some minority organizations and Rep. Thomas C. Sawyer (D-Ohio), chairman of the House subcommittee on census and population, have accused the Census Bureau of not beginning preparations for the count early enough. More than half of the census’ 110 informational brochures have not been received for distribution nationally to community organizations, they charge.

Last January, Santa Ana became the first city in the country to begin a census promotion, bureau officials said, and it has remained a leader in the effort.

At least 17 cities throughout Los Angeles County--including Pasadena, West Hollywood, Compton, Long Beach and Los Angeles--followed with promotion efforts during 1989.

Santa Ana’s committee is planning bilingual census plays by a Latino theater group, a Census Day festival with a completed form as the admission ticket, banners at a Black History Month parade and a series of promotions at Latino-oriented stores.

The city has also hired four people to plan for the census and has developed a cable television program in English and Spanish dedicated to the census.

Inglewood Assistant City Manager Norman Cravens mentioned some of the those ideas as possibilities for his city, including promotions at the city’s annual Hispanic Fiesta and an event at the Forum where census forms may be collected at the door.

Other outreach techniques may include water bill inserts, an article in the City Hall newsletter, announcements on radio, cable television, billboards and bus shelters. Information may also be sent home with schoolchildren and dispensed at predominantly Latino churches.

In Torrance, a citizens committee that has been in place since the fall is planning inserts in water and garbage bills as well as contacts with schools and local service clubs. Hawthorne has not yet set up a committee but is planning a public awareness campaign, a spokesman said.

In addition to city-sponsored efforts, special campaigns are also under way throughout the region to target various ethnic groups. One is a conference planned in Carson next month to promote the census among members Pacific Island communities.

In South-Central Los Angeles, Tommy Jacquette is in charge of making the census gathering process safe in high-crime neighborhoods. He is helping people in the community to join the census and warning canvassers to wear neutral colors on the job.

Homeless people and gang members will be hired at $7.50 an hour to help counters gain access to the haunts of the homeless and tough gang neighborhoods.

The prime reason for the census is to apportion the 435 seats in the House of Representatives; however, it has also become a demographic clearinghouse that follows social trends and provides figures that are used in the distribution of billions of federal, state and local dollars.

Population figures determine where businesses are located, schools are built and buses are routed. Taxes for gas, highway use, cigarettes and public transportation are also apportioned based on population figures.

“It affects Head Start all the way to senior centers, babies to the elderly,” said Albert Molina, a community awareness specialist based in Orange County who also covers Wilmington and San Pedro.

“More people means more money for parks, more police, expansions to senior centers, more tree trimmers,” Fernandez said.