Moved up Census: Time for Californians to Act

By Tom Elias, Columnist 

California polls now show President Trump trails Democrat Joseph Biden in the upcoming presidential election by almost 40 percent in this state, a preposterous, totally unprecedented margin that spurs the incumbent to retaliate against this state at every opportunity.

That was a major, unspoken motive when he issued an obviously unconstitutional order telling the Census Bureau to leave undocumented immigrants out of its supposedly complete count of every human being residing in the nation, stipulated in America’s foundational document.

It was also one motive when the Trump-appointed Census chief Steven Dillingham ordered the population count to stop on Sept. 30, a month prior to what was planned earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, when it became clear there would be no way to get a complete count by that date.

Never mind all that. When Dillingham issued his stop-by-Sept. 30 order, Trump trailed in every major national presidential poll, too, and in most surveys in swing states that flip back and forth between the major parties. Trump knows he could be forced from office on Jan. 20, and wants to harm his enemies (read: California and other states with large immigrant populations) while he can.

The Sept. 30 closing date means the final Census results should be reported by year’s end, fully three weeks before a defeated president would leave office. It would then be impossible for the new chief executive to extend the deadline for final results, as would be needed if the count continued until Oct. 31. Biden, if elected, could not order an obvious Census undercount to be fixed by using administrative records, as he could if the results were finalized later.

This all could have enormous detrimental effects on California – unless Californians get busy in the next few weeks and make sure they and all their neighbors get counted.

As of late August, only about 65 percent of California residents had been tallied, with newly-hired Census takers due to start knocking on doors in droves this month. No one really knows how determined these temporary on-the-ground counters are or whether their final count will be anywhere near complete.

Yes, there figures to be room for some correction. As it stands, former Census chiefs under Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican George H.W. Bush predict a count that’s 10 percent to 12 percent low nationally. In California, with a hard to count and sometimes hard to find – but unquestionably large – population of undocumented immigrants, the undercount could be much higher.

If that’s how it turns out, one recourse allowed by federal law might be a recount in 2025. That would be expensive and unprecedented. Still, no president before Trump ever tried to interfere with an honest count. His orders – like one for Census takers to ignore undocumented immigrants – are contrary to what Dillingham pledged during his 2019 Senate confirmation hearing: “independence from improper influence.” Uh-huh.

For California, a serious undercount could mean the loss of two or three seats in Congress, which likely would translate into Republican gains in the House, as the those seats would be redirected to smaller states where complete counts are easier to do. Montana, Vermont and Nebraska might each get one more House seat. Major undercounts in Texas, Illinois, New York and Florida would also be likely under Trump’s orders, likely meaning other House slots would shift to states like Alabama and Arkansas, where there are fewer unauthorized immigrants accustomed to hiding from government workers like the Census takers.

An undercount would also cause redirection of billions of dollars in federal grant money for everything from highways and sewers to post office buildings and other aid, much of which is divvied up on the basis of state and local population.

But California is not helpless in all this. Unlike Texas, Georgia and other states with significant unauthorized immigrant populations, California early on earmarked almost $200 million for ethnic-based organizations to hire extra personnel to convince those they serve to get counted.

These efforts were delayed by the pandemic, but must now ramp up seriously if California and the specific areas where the most immigrants live are not to be shorted on representation, funding and government services of all kinds.

Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net

Related Posts

Man Arrested in Brentwood for Impersonating Firefighter During Palisades Fire

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

The suspect faces at least 28 criminal counts—including 23 felonies—spanning incidents from 2023 to May 2025 Federal and local law...

West Coast Premiere of ‘The Opposite of Love’ Opens at Hudson Backstage Theatre

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Produced by Neil Gooding Productions, behind shows like Back to the Future: The Musical, the play runs Thursdays through Saturdays at...

Study Highlights Economic Impact of Cap-and-Trade Extension in Los Angeles

July 18, 2025

July 18, 2025

Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders are pushing to reauthorize the program this year, citing its role in generating 287,000...

Controversial Rebuilding Authority Delayed by Sen. Allen

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

The pause follows concerns raised weeks ago when the proposal sought to create an agency run by political appointees to...

Mayor Bass Hails National Guard Withdrawal as Victory for Unity

July 17, 2025

July 17, 2025

The Pentagon’s decision to reduce the troop presence follows weeks of legal challenges and public demonstrations Mayor Karen Bass celebrated...

DUI Checkpoints to be Conducted Across LA This Weekend

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The LAPD selects checkpoint sites based on data indicating high incidents of impaired driving-related crashes and arrests The Los Angeles...

Fire Survivors Urged to Shape Rebuilding Efforts with Digital Feedback Platform

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The initiative, launched in February, marks California’s first large-scale use of a dedicated digital tool to gather wildfire survivor feedback...

(Video) Italian Eatery Finds New West LA Home after Wildfire Displacement

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

Cinque Terra, a longstanding Palisadian establishment, has brought its Northern Italian cuisine to Rose Avenue Italian Eatery Finds New West...

Dodgers to Host Back to School Bash for Fire-Affected Families

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The free event will offer free groceries, school supplies, outfits, haircuts, medical screenings, and carnival rides The Los Angeles Dodgers...

Hundreds of Red-Legged Frog Tadpoles Released in Santa Monica Mountains

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

Once widespread in California, red-legged frogs vanished from the Santa Monica Mountains by the 1970s Nearly 600 California red-legged frog...

LA Sees Second Straight Year of Homelessness Decline, Leaders Celebrate Progress

July 16, 2025

July 16, 2025

The survey, designed by the University of Southern California, reported a 17.5% drop—the largest two-year decrease on record The Los...

County Launches AI Pilot to Speed Rebuilding After Fires

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

The pilot targets early adopters whose homes, located in R-1 residential zones, were damaged by the wildfires Los Angeles County...

Santa Monica Man Arrested for Allegedly Exporting Electronics to Iran

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

Ostovari, identified as the CEO of a Tehran-based engineering firm, allegedly orchestrated the scheme since 2018  A 66-year-old Santa Monica...

California Hits Two-Thirds Clean Energy Milestone

July 15, 2025

July 15, 2025

This year, clean energy has powered the state for an average of seven hours daily, with over 90% of days...

ICE Raids Disrupt Labor in Fire Recovery Efforts: REPORT

July 14, 2025

July 14, 2025

Immigrants, comprising about 75% of Los Angeles County’s construction workforce with nearly half undocumented, per a Bay Area Council analysis,...