Mayors face off in census challenge
In the tradition of epic rivalries like Sparta vs. Athens, L.A. vs. San Francisco or Cal vs. Stanford, Clayton Mayor Julie Pierce has thrown down the gauntlet to Piedmont Mayor Bob McBain.
The challenge: Which city can deliver the highest response rate to the 2020 Census count.
At time of press, Piedmont ranked No. 1 in California with 84.7 percent of households responding, just less than its 2010 score of 85.8 percent. Clayton ranked No. 2, with 82.6 percent – already besting the 2010 response rate of 81.4 percent. See the most current rankings.
The stakes are high
“We’re determined to post the highest response rate in the state for the 2020 decennial,” says Pierce. “The stakes are very high for California this time around; we could lose a Congress person, in fact. It’s essential that everyone be counted.
“Clayton residents have a proud history of civic engagement and participation,” she adds. “We’re going to show Piedmont, and the rest of the state, just how engaged we are.”
McBain met Pierce’s challenge in good humor.
“This competition is a great way to engage our communities in an effort that’s important to both our cities,” he told the Pioneer. “We need to reach out to all our residents to ensure that they have the chance to participate in the census.”
“And if a little competition can step up the effort, then we will have some fun and support a very good goal.”
The two towns, 23 miles apart, have nearly identical population numbers and similar demographics. Coming in at No. 2, however, prompted Clayton’s mayor to issue the good-natured challenge to Piedmont’s mayor to encourage Census awareness and response.
Pierce promises a gift basket of Clayton-produced honey and other offerings, should the town not come in first by the Aug. 11 deadline. After that, Census enumerators will contact households that haven’t responded to the brief survey with a knock on the door. This is an expensive method of data collection and, in the era of COVID-19, the choice of last resort.
It’s never been easier to respond to Census
It’s never been easier to respond to the Census, which only takes about 10 minutes. For the first time ever, residents can respond online. They can still respond by phone or mail, as well.
The Census occurs every 10 years, as mandated by Congress. The count will determine Congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding every year, and provide data that will impact our roads, schools, fire protection, health care and many other essential services for the coming decade.
So, come on, Claytonians: Let’s rise to this challenge and do right by our community. You can respond online at 2020census.gov or call toll-free 844-330-2020.
Questionnaires are available in 12 languages in addition to English, with language support for 59 other languages. All answers are confidential and protected by the most advanced security technology in the world.
Clayton resident Pamela Michael is a media specialist with the Census Bureau.
