The city of Goleta will lead a 2020 Census Car Caravan, 11 a.m.-noon Saturday, July 11. More than a dozen vehicles will participate in the caravan, including those carrying:
Congressman Salud Carbajal, Santa Barbara County Supervisors Gregg Hart and Joan Hartmann; Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte and City Council members; Joni Maiden of the Santa Barbara County complete count committee; Ana Maria Lugo, California Census Lead Partner specialist; Josefa Rios of the Santa Barbara Promotores Network; and city of Goleta staff members.
The caravan will begin at the Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave.; drive through Goleta neighborhoods; and end at Dos Pueblos High School, 7266 Alameda Ave. In addition to neighborhoods, the caravan will be driving by the Fairview Shopping Center, Stow Grove Park, Storke Plaza, Camino Real Marketplace, and Ellwood Mesa parking lot.
A map will be available at www.CityofGoleta.org/Census2020. View the flyer in English or Spanish.
Community members are urged to cheer on the caravan. Honk, cheer, clap for the caravan that will keep moving to observe social-distancing protocols.
“During a time when our outreach opportunities are restricted due to social distancing guidelines, the Census Caravan is a fun way for us to spread the message,” Perotte said. “It is important that everyone is counted this census in order to ensure we get our fair share of state and federal funding.”
According to the 2020 Self Response Rate Map, as of July 7, 71.4% of Goleta households have completed their census. The city has until Oct. 31 to reach the remaining 29.6% of households that haven’t responded. Help from the community is needed to achieve 100% participation.
The city says, check in with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers and encourage them to be counted.
This is the first year the census can be completed online at My2020Cenus.gov. Those who did not respond to a postcard invitation to participate online, should have received a paper copy of the census in the mail. The census is easy to fill out; follow the instructions and answer nine simple questions. The census also can be completed by phone at 844-330-2020.
U.S. Census workers will be doing in-person visits to households that have not yet responded.
When completing the census, be sure to count everyone in the household even if they are not family members. Children should be counted as well, even babies. It’s estimated that one in 10 children under age five were missed in the last census. That is more than two million uncounted children.
Also, it’s important to know that the 2020 Census is confidential and your personal information — by law — can’t be shared.
Emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic are precisely why the government needs accurate 2020 Census Data. Everyone’s response to the census shapes decisions about how billions of dollars in federal funds flow into communities each year for the next 10 years. The following items are at stake for Goleta if there is an undercount in the 2020 Census:
Loss of revenue for 10 years
Federal funding for Community Development Block Grants
Library funding
Gas tax-related revenue for road repairs
Special funding based on population
District election boundaries
Watch the Make Goleta Count video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YukFTmxxedc. Learn more about the 2020 Census on the city’s census webpage https://www.cityofgoleta.org/projects-programs/census-2020 and on Santa Barbara County’s census website https://santabarbaracountycensus.org/?lang=es.
Information in Spanish is also available on the city and Santa Barbara County websites.