United Ways of California (UWCA) celebrates the United States Supreme Court’s decision to remand to the district court in New York the question of whether to permit addition of an untested and unnecessary citizenship question in the 2020 Census—whose data will inform policy-making, determine the allocation of over $800 billion in funding and the makeup of our electoral representation, drive business decisions, and inform service providers and advocates about the needs of diverse communities. 

“We are thankful the Court has, for now, halted the addition of the citizenship to the Census. United Ways, along with our partners and grantees support a range of initiatives that rely upon the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census,” said Peter Manzo, UWCA President and CEO. “These include increasing access to healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured; ending homelessness; increasing access to early childhood and youth development opportunities; providing chances to learn beyond high school; supporting community development; creating access to affordable housing; and delivering safety net services to vulnerable communities.”

PRESS RELEASE  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 27, 2019
CONTACT: Unai Montes, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 213.476.8742

United Ways of California Lauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Decision to Temporarily Halt Addition of Citizenship Question in 2020 Census:

The inclusion of this question would have wrought detrimental effects on already vulnerable communities, including reduced federal funding for programs that serve kids and families, and would have skewed Congressional representation.

(Los Angeles, Calif.) — United Ways of California (UWCA) celebrates the United States Supreme Court’s decision to remand to the district court in New York the question of whether to permit addition of an untested and unnecessary citizenship question in the 2020 Census—whose data will inform policy-making, determine the allocation of over $800 billion in funding and the makeup of our electoral representation, drive business decisions, and inform service providers and advocates about the needs of diverse communities. 

“We are thankful the Court has, for now, halted the addition of the citizenship to the Census. United Ways, along with our partners and grantees support a range of initiatives that rely upon the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census,” said Peter Manzo, UWCA President and CEO. “These include increasing access to healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured; ending homelessness; increasing access to early childhood and youth development opportunities; providing chances to learn beyond high school; supporting community development; creating access to affordable housing; and delivering safety net services to vulnerable communities.”

“Given its foundational importance, the counting of every resident of the United States must be driven by scientific rigor and scrupulous independence from any partisan politics,” Manzo added. “The Census Bureau’s own analysis concluded that the effects of adding a rushed, untested citizenship question to the 2020 Census would significantly reduce the accuracy of the count. An accurate count of all persons is essential, and accuracy is improved when all households feel safe when participating in this important national effort.  The federal government has ample other data in which to assess rates of citizenship, so adding the question to the Census is not necessary for a proper purpose. 

Even if there were not strong evidence of improper political motives, —which the Court today has left for lower courts to decide—adding the citizenship question would be a reckless departure from sound scientific practice. Not only would it distort the reliability of Census data, but it also would further fuel toxic political divisions that hamper our nonpartisan efforts to bring communities together and improve lives for all Americans. We now call on the New York District Court to remove the citizenship question once and for all so that the U.S. Census Bureau can proceed with the clarity and certainty it needs to execute a Census 2020 that is fair, constitutional and accurate.”

United Ways throughout California are committed to assuring that hard-to-count communities are counted. Earlier this year, UWCA joined national, regional, statewide, and local foundations and philanthropy-serving organizations in submitting an independent friend of the court brief in Department of Commerce v. New York supporting challenges to the Commerce Department’s last-minute addition of the citizenship question to the decennial 2020 Census. We must now renew our important work to reassure our communities that census participation is safe, important, and necessary.

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