Blog Archives: November 2009

This opinion editorial was published in the November 16, 2009 edition of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

With the state and our local areas in virtual economic free fall, the 2010 census is perhaps the single most important population count in the history of California. There is almost nothing that will ensure our continued decline or alternatively provide the resources to help build a prosperous future than the census.

In Los Angeles and across the state, community organizers are mobilizing and strategizing the outreach to various constituencies in an attempt to avoid a catastrophic undercount. But at a time when census resources are needed more than ever, California has precipitously reduced funding for the outreach.

The state has cut the outreach funding from $26 million in the 2000 census to a mere $2.5 million for 2010 – a 90 percent reduction. How can California be so shortsighted as to virtually eliminate funding now? Equally important, considering the significance of the count, why is the public debate on the subject so muted? As bad as the reduction decision is, the lack of any real outcry – from elected officials and the public – may be even more disconcerting.

The Los Angeles Urban League applauds the passage by the House of the landmark health care bill (H.R. 3962) that will extend insurance coverage to 36 million uninsured Americans. With respect to healthcare access, this legislation has the potential to help close the gap between people of color and the rest of the population - a gap that has continued to widen at an alarming rate.

Whether it is mortality rates, lack of prenatal care, life expectancy, the stratospheric rise of HIV among minority women, higher death rates from preventable diseases, or our rising number of families without health insurance, studies show that minorities continue to face alarming health statistics all across this nation. African Americans in particular face health disparities that literally threaten survival. It is time for serious action, and we are pleased to see the House answering the call.