State Panel Says It Will Sue Over Census Count : Population: Data is needed for redistricting and increased federal funds, Roberti claims. Mayor Bradley testifies that tally was ‘gravely defective.’

The state Senate Rules Committee on Monday announced that it intends to file legal action to force the U.S. Department of Commerce to release adjusted federal census data needed to complete the statewide redistricting process.

The move was prompted by the recent announcement by Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher that the 1990 census would not be adjusted, despite an acknowledged undercount of more than 5 million mostly poor Americans--of whom more than a million reside in California.

Nationally, African-Americans were undercounted by 4.8% as compared to 1.8% for whites, census officials said. Latinos were undercounted by 5.2%, American Indians by 5%, and Asians and Pacific Islanders 3.1% each.

If adjusted figures were used, California would gain eight, rather than seven, congressional seats, and be given more federal money that is distributed on the basis of population.

State Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the committee that met in Los Angeles on Monday, emphasized that the data is critically needed for the Senate to “fairly and accurately” complete the redistricting process in time for the 1992 elections.

As it stands, Mosbacher’s decision “denied 30 million Californians their fair representation in Congress,” Roberti said, and took from the state “over $1 billion in federal revenue-sharing funds over the next decade.”

“I am now asking Gov. Pete Wilson to work with the Senate to urge President Bush to overrule Mosbacher,” Roberti said. “Gov. Wilson should join us in demanding that Secretary Mosbacher release to California its adjusted census data.”

Testifying before the committee, Mayor Tom Bradley charged that the 1990 census was “gravely defective” and undercounted the Los Angeles population by 5.1%, or about 200,000.

If the census is not corrected, the city will lose $150 million over the next 10 years, which could affect the city’s ability to provide services and programs to help underrepresented populations, Bradley said.

The city stands to lose more than money if the census is not corrected.

“Without the adjusted census information,” Bradley said, “residents of heavily undercounted areas of the city may be denied their fair representation on the council when districts are redrawn on the basis of population.”