The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out about the timeline adjustments the U.S Census Bureau has made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The timeline for completing the questionnaire and other activities related to Census operations from March 12 to August 14. In support of Safer At Home orders and recommendations for physical distancing across the country, the Census Bureau also suspended field operations, so it is up to each individual household to be responsible and be counted.
Even during a state of Local Emergency due to coronavirus (COVID-19), the city is working to achieve a complete census count in Census 2020. The importance of getting a full count of people in the City of West Hollywood has been brought into sharp focus during the pandemic; population counts are used to determine how federal and state governments assign resources – both funding and congressional representation.
The City of West Hollywood has released an animated public service announcement video highlighting the importance of West Hollywood residents responding to the Census 2020.
Watch the video on the City’s WeHoTV YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/bxIIoIKkCV8. The public service announcement is also being shared in the City’s social media @wehocity on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and broadcast on WeHoTV Spectrum Channel 10 in West Hollywood and AT&T U-verse throughout Southern California.
It is likely that some people may not be able to locate the Census materials mailed to every household. The Census questionnaire can easily and quickly be submitted online at http://www.my2020census.gov. The U.S. Census Bureau has also launched an online response tracker that is regularly updated at http://www.2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html.
The Census has created materials that can be shared on different platforms to encourage participation. These links include:
- Facebook:Â www.facebook.com/
uscensusbureau - Twitter:Â www.twitter.com/
uscensusbureau - LinkedIn:Â www.linkedin.com/
company/us-census-bureau - YouTube:Â www.youtube.com/user/
uscensusbureau - Instagram:Â http://www.
instagram.com/uscensusbureau
By law, the Census Bureau will deliver each state’s population counts to the President of the United States by December 31, 2020, which determines its number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. By law, the Bureau will deliver the local counts each state needs to complete legislative redistricting by April 1, 2021.
The following is information about planned timeline extensions and/or delays, due to the coronavirus crisis:
- All households have already received the Census form by mail. The self-response phase has been extended until August 14, 2020. Community members can respond by mail or, to ensure adherence to Safer at Home directives, may respond online at http://www.2020Census.org, online response takes less than 5 minutes;
- Census Bureau staff are planned to assist people with responding online at select grocery stores through August 14, 2020; and
- Census takers will interview nonresponse households in person, maintaining physical distance to ensure health and safety, between May 28, 2020 and August 14, 2020.
This information is subject to change as the coronavirus emergency evolves.
The Census Bureau is making every effort to protect the health and safety of Census Bureau employees and the public at large while ensuring a complete and accurate count of all communities.
For more information about Census 2020 from the U.S. Census Bureau, please visit www.2020Census.gov. For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s efforts to achieve a complete count, please visit www.weho.org/census2020.
