According to reports published in the Sacramento Bee, this year’s Census count in South Lake Tahoe is lagging well behind the California state average of 60 percent. South Lake Tahoe’s response rate is about 25 percent.

Quoting the Bee article, “An army of nonprofits across the state is trying to revive their outreach efforts after the COVID-19 pandemic derailed strategies formed months or even years ago. The early results, in some cases, highlight how much further they have to go.”

“The El Dorado County Community Foundation, one of the lead organizations for the county, had plans for outreach that would have lasted the duration of the census. The Placerville-based organization is now trying to figure out how to re-engage the community, said Bill Roby, the nonprofit’s Executive Director.”

“A little more than a quarter of the city’s 22,000 are Hispanic, census data shows. Two census tracts in South Lake Tahoe where the majority of people are Hispanic, monolingual and also non-citizens was one of their chief concerns”, Roby said.

The consequence of an undercount would be less federal funding for the state, and depending on the magnitude of the undercount, fewer seat in the House of Representatives.

We are asking for employers and managers to assist in encouraging their teams to complete the census and boost the count in our community. See below for a draft message that you can email, text, or include in your next meeting with your team. Thank you in advance for your support!

“Dear employees,

You haven’t missed your chance to participate in the 2020 Census! If your home hasn’t yet received a paper form, you can now respond quickly online or by phone for your opportunity to bring education, health care, housing, and political power to your community. There are so many ways to count yourself in the 2020 Census — don’t wait! Go to 2020census.gov/ for more information and to respond now.”