Cities Review Census Figures : Population: Federal findings show Pomona and El Monte joining Pasadena with more than 100,000 people.

As figures for the 1990 U.S. Census rolled in last week, officials in Walnut celebrated planned growth of 132% that made it the fourth fastest growing city in California.

Several other San Gabriel Valley cities, including Pomona, grumbled that they were undercounted, which could result in the loss of federal and state money doled out on the basis of population.

Pasadena, which grew a modest 9%, is still the San Gabriel Valley’s largest city, with 129,518 residents. Close behind are Pomona, which jumped 39% to 129,315, and El Monte, which grew 31% to 104,189. No other San Gabriel Valley cities top the 100,000 mark.

Four cities lost residents, according to the U.S. Census. The populations of Bradbury and Irwindale each dropped by 4%. San Marino lost 3% of its residents and Sierra Madre 1%, but officials in those cities say they don’t want to comment until they finish reviewing the initial census figures. The preliminary figures can be challenged by cities, and may be adjusted by census officials in coming weeks.

In Walnut, officials said the skyrocketing growth came as no surprise. Back in 1978, when Walnut boasted fewer than 15,000 residents, city officials sat down and mapped out a planned community that would peak at 32,000, City Manager Linda Holmes said. Today, with census figures showing Walnut’s population at 28,905, the city is nearing that goal.

“We have a lot of planned open space, but we’re almost fully built out at this point,” Holmes said. Ninety-five percent of the dwellings in Walnut are single-family homes on generous lots, she said. The city is nine square miles, with housing developments nestled amid rolling hills.

Holmes attributed the rapid growth to Walnut’s well-regarded school system and a ravenous appetite by builders for open land within commuting distance to Los Angeles.

“There’s very little room left for development in L.A., and we offer one of the last areas,” Holmes said. Although the U.S. Census hasn’t released official statistics, Holmes said many of the new residents are Asians who have relocated from Monterey Park and Alhambra and account for about 20% of Walnut’s population.

In the coming years, as revenues from residential builders drop off, Walnut wants to focus on beefing up its business zones to bring in more sales tax money, Holmes said.

Pomona officials said the 1990 Census figures probably underestimate the city’s true growth, particularly among the homeless and those who live three and four families to a house.

“I’m sure they weren’t all counted, but that’s the unfortunate . . . nature of homelessness, it makes it difficult for people to be counted,” said Steve Tarvin, Pomona’s acting director of development.

Tarvin said the census takers also may have overlooked a new housing development in South Pomona with about 20 homes. He said his staff will spend the next week evaluating the preliminary federal findings and drafting a response.

Pomona has grown so fast, in fact, that school officials are opening two new elementary schools this fall and considering switching to a year-round schedule.

Pomona’s efforts to count the homeless came under fire this spring, when church groups that work with the homeless accused the city and Census Bureau of not making a concerted effort to find residents living on the fringes.

“I don’t believe that 39% growth . . . begins to reflect the people who are doubled up in housing, lots of the Spanish-speaking people and the homeless,” said Pat Irish, executive director of the Pomona Valley Council of Churches.

Irish estimated there were at least 3,000 homeless people in Pomona and an equal number living in garages and cars. She believes the census figures are 5% to 10% low.

“We’re seeing enormous numbers of people at the hunger program, and that indicates a lot of people who are living close to the edge,” Irish said, adding that the questionnaire may have been too complex for people who don’t yet speak English.

“I found the form very difficult and I’m a college graduate,” Irish said.

Officials in San Dimas and Bradbury also complained that they had been undercounted.

In San Dimas, where the population rose from 24,014 to 32,439, City Manager Robert Poff said the census failed to count at least 600 residents, which will mean a loss of $30,000 to $40,000 in state funding from sources such as Proposition A and gasoline and motor vehicle taxes.

“Frankly, we were disappointed,” Poff said. “That’s a rather significant amount.”

Poff also said that most of the city’s growth occurred in the mid- and late-1980s but that it seems to have tapered off as San Dimas heads into the 1990s.

“In the early ‘80s, when we had that recession, we went a couple years with only two to three building permits. Now builders aren’t building, and we seem to be back in that period.”

In El Monte, where the population rose 31% from 79,494 to 104,189, officials attributed the rise to the construction of “quality single-family homes” and said many of the new residents were young families with children taking advantage of El Monte’s relatively affordable housing and proximity to jobs in Los Angeles.

New developments include a 325-home development on a former golf course and a townhouse project of 144 homes on Ramona Boulevard, City Administrator Gregory D. Korduner said.

In addition, some older single-family homes are being torn down and replaced with three-to-five-unit apartments, he said.

In Baldwin Park, which grew 35%, City Manager Donald Penman said the surge in population is tied to a combination of growth and larger family size among many of the new residents.

“It’s a pretty good increase even from the numbers we were using as of a year ago,” Penman said. “This is important information for us . . . and it’s going to help everyone do a little better job of planning.”

Although some cities complained of undercounting, officials in Industry said they may have been grossly over-counted. The 1990 Census shows 812 residents in Industry, and 1990 figures from the California Department of Finance indicates that there are only 367.

“I sort of question the accuracy of their numbers,” said Phil Iriarte, Industry’s assistant city manager.

CENSUS TOTALS FOR SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CITIES

Following are preliminary 1990 U.S. Census totals for 29 San Gabriel Valley cities as compared with the final figures from the 1980 Census.

CITY 1980 CENSUS 1990 CENSUS % INCREASE Alhambra 64,615 80,740 25% Arcadia 45,994 48,007 4% Azusa 29,380 39,844 36% Baldwin Park 50,554 68,481 35% Bradbury 846 816 -4% Claremont 30,950 32,699 6% Covina 33,751 42,453 26% Diamond Bar* 28,053 NA NA Duarte 16,724 20,536 23% El Monte 79,494 104,189 31% Glendora 38,654 47,257 22% Industry 412 812 97% Irwindale 1,030 992 -4% La Puente 30,882 36,450 18% La Verne 23,508 30,827 31% Monrovia 30,531 34,792 14% Monterey Park 54,338 60,567 11% Pasadena 118,550 129,518 9% Pomona 92,742 129,315 39% Rosemead 42,604 51,156 20% San Dimas 24,014 32,439 35% San Gabriel 30,072 36,760 22% San Marino 13,307 12,920 -3% Sierra Madre 10,837 10,727 -1% South El Monte 16,623 20,100 21% South Pasadena 22,681 23,759 5% Temple City 28,972 30,769 6% Walnut 12,478 28,905 132% West Covina 80,291 94,391 18% L.A. COUNTY** 7,477,503 8,719,699 17%

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census

*Approximate population for 1980

**L.A. County total includes unincorporated areas