LOS ANGELES – June 27, 2019 – Today the Supreme Court rejected the Administration’s reasoning for including a citizenship question on the 2020 census, leaving in doubt whether the question will ultimately be included in the census.
The Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC) is heartened by the decision of the Court, and hopeful that the Census will proceed without the citizenship question. The inclusion of the question would have deterred people – including underserved, low-income patients – from responding to and being counted in the census. The inclusion of the citizenship question would have undermined the reliability of census data because people in marginalized communities will be undercounted as they have been in past census counts.
“We stand with our patients and communities, as well as our community partners, in ensuring that all people are fairly counted for the 2020 census,” said Louise McCarthy, President and CEO of CCALAC.
“The census is a crucial source of data that determines distribution of resources and representation for our communities; therefore it is imperative that all community members are counted.”
CCALAC is working on several initiatives to promote participation in the census and will continue to work with partners and clinics to reach our community population of 1.7 million patients.
The Supreme Court found that the Administration did not provide a sufficient explanation for adding the question, leaving it unclear whether the Administration will provide what the Court deems an adequate answer in time for it to be included in the questionnaire. In addition to the Supreme Court’s consideration of the Census question, lower courts in New York and Maryland are also considering rulings on the citizenship question.
Contact:
Elaiza Torralba, Communications Specialist, (213) 201-6529
Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County
700 S. Flower Street, Suite 3150, Los Angeles, CA 90017