FEWER CENSUS FORMS MAILED BACK

Martin Espinoza
May 4, 2010

The U.S. Census Bureau calls them "nonresponsive households," and this time there are more of them than there were 10 years ago.

A number of cities in Sonoma County had lower participation rates during the mail-back segment of the census.

Rohnert Park, for example had a participation rate of 77 percent during the 2000 count. This time, the participation rate in Rohnert Park was 72 percent. Healdsburg reached a participation rate of 75 percent last month compared to 79 percent in 2000, and Petaluma's rate was 78 percent this time, compared to 81 percent 10 years ago.

On the other hand, Cloverdale had a rate of 81 percent, six percentage points more than its rate in 2000. Santa Rosa, with a rate of 76, was lower by only 2 percentage points.

Sonny Le, a regional spokesman for the census bureau, said one reason could be the "high percentage of foreclosures" this time around.

Le said forms may have been sent to foreclosed homes where the former owner no longer lives. Such households are logged as "nonresponsive," he said.

"California has been one of the hardest hit states," Le said. "We don't know which houses have been foreclosed until we go to the homes."

This past weekend, more than 600,000 federal census takers across the country began knocking on doors -- the latest phase of the decennial task of counting every person in the country.

The overall participation rates for Sonoma County, 74 percent, was only one percentage point lower than it recorded in 2000. California has a rate of 71 percent, two percentage points lower than the last census.

Michael Burns, deputy regional director for the census bureau's Seattle office, which oversees Northern California and much of the West, said 133,000 homes will be visited in the bureau's Santa Rosa region, which includes Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties.

The federal government disburses about $400 billion to state and local governments, based largely on population. What's more, the census is also used for reapportioning seats in Congress.

Because California's population has remained stagnant this decade, the state may lose the congressional seat it gained after the 2000 census.

"California is on the cusp of losing a seat," Burns said. "That's why it's so important to get an accurate count."

During the May Day march and rally in Santa Rosa on Saturday, census workers set up a tent in the old Albertson's shopping center parking lot in Roseland, where the rally began. They also had a tent at Juilliard Park, where the rally ended.

Census workers handed out hats and T-shirts, informing people those who did not return their forms by mail that they would soon be getting a visit.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.