Challenge of accurate Census numbers in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Every ten years a Census is taken of all people living in the Unitied States. While the state of California currently has a 64.5 percent response rate, South Lake Tahoe once again is lagging far behind.

As of August 6, 28.1 percent of those living in South Lake Tahoe had turned in answers to the Census Bureau. El Dorado County as a whole, 58.6 percent. Nationally, the Census return rate is 63.2 percent.

Why is it so hard to get South Lake Tahoe residents to participate?

It is not a new problem and it has been a challenge for Census reporting in South Lake Tahoe for decades.

"The reason for this is as diverse as the community," said El Dorado Community Foundation Executive Director Bill Roby. "Some homes that are second homes are listed as primary homes, especially on the west shore of the lake. In the area of Ski Run Blvd to Stateline, the most challenging census track in El Dorado County, there is a combination of single homes, duplexes and apartment buildings all with different demographics."

This year Roby was tasked with the overwhelming job of getting more residents to participate, and plans were in place before the pandemic hit. He had sponsored kid's soccer teams and the Census info was put on their jerseys, had planned outreach in neighborhoods, took out ads and created a printed newspaper handout.

"The South Lake area is one of our most unique in the county," said Roby. "It is a combination of employment that can be seasonable which gives rise to a nomadic community with people moving in and out depending on seasonal adjustments, apartments often shared by more than one household, a reluctance of identify for personal reasons and financial insecurity. All play a part in lower the historically undercounted sectors of South Lake Tahoe."

The ten-year Census is responsible for determining funding for the community for the duration until the next Census - Libraries, public transit, housing, plans for highways, support for firefighters, school programs such as lunches, Head Start, and grants for teachers and special education, among others.

The results help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. That funding shapes many different aspects of every community, no matter the size, no matter the location.

Figures from the count are also used in redistricting legislative districts based on population. Lines of districts are drawn based on the data on March 31, 2021 so areas without large Census participation fall into new districts. Boundaries of the El Dorado County Supervisors cannot change though, due to Census counts, Roby said.

Due to these reasons, the count of every person living in the United States is constitutionally mandated.

Many of those in the country who do not have current citizenship papers are concerned the Census will be used to track them down, but that is not the case. The US Census Bureau said all 2020 Census responses are safe, secure, and pro- tected by federal law. Answers can only be used to produce statistics—they cannot be used against people in any way. By law, all responses to U.S. Census Bureau household and business surveys are kept completely confidential.

There are always estimates of a population but those cannot be used in allocations determined by the Census. Cuurently it is estimated 21,034 live in households in South Lake Tahoe. This number has not fluctuated much in the last ten years. In 2010, an estimated 21,410 lived in town. Population peeks in 2009 at 23,619.

Nearby, Douglas and Carson City Counties are above the state of Nevada which has a 62.3 percent response rate. Douglas is at 64.7 percent and Carson City is at a 66.4 percent response rate, the highest in Nevada.

It is not too late to respond and be counted. For those that received the invitation card in the mail, respond to that by mail, phone or internet. If one did not receive the invitation or no longer have it, visit https://2020census.gov/en/ways-to-respond.html for options on who to contact. They are open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern time at English: 844-330-2020 and Spanish: 844-468-2020. Other languages are available at the above link as well.

There will also be door-to-door Census takers though COVID-19 restrictions have hampered a lot of their efforts. All responses are due by September 30 so officials can tabulate the data and present to the President by December 31, as required by law.