Census Bureau to hire 10,000 in La.

• By STEVEN WARD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: May 28, 2009 - Page: 5B

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Between October of this year and April 2010 — the peak of activity for the 2010 census — the U.S. Census Bureau will hire more than 10,000 people in Louisiana, a Census Bureau official said Wednesday.

Gabriel Sanchez, director of the agency’s Dallas regional office, said those temporary employees will do everything from working at the eight Census Bureau offices in the state to hitting the streets of Louisiana’s neighborhoods to distribute questionnaires.

Sanchez and other census officials gave an update on the 2010 census activity in Louisiana during a meeting Wednesday at the State Library.

Sanchez said the 2010 census questionnaire to be mailed to all residents is a short document with only 10 questions.

Some people, at a later date, will receive a more detailed questionnaire, delving into income, property, employment, education — data used in measuring various trends.

In January 2011, the Census Bureau will release to the public the figures for the U.S. population and the population for each state. More detailed data will be released in April 2011.

Sanchez said participation in the census is crucial — the results are used in federal funding formulas for local needs, such as roads and education, as well as in determining political representation on the federal, state and local levels.

With loss of population, states could stand to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

But some people are reluctant to answer the census questionnaire.

“Some people don’t trust the federal government,” Sanchez said. “That’s just the way it is.”

To combat that problem, the Census Bureau is in the midst of a program in which the agency has made partnerships — some called Complete Count Committees — with community organizations, ranging from religious groups and local governments to schools.

“That way, the people getting the word out are the people they (local residents) trust or believe in,” Sanchez said.

For example, a pastor might, in a sermon or bulletin article, include a reminder to congregants about the census questionnaire. Or, a utility bill might include that reminder.