"Census Day"
By Jim Beall, Jr.
California State Assemblymember, 24th District

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts America's population.
It is important that each person in California be counted so our state can get its rightful share of federal money for education, hospitals, roads, and employment training. Less federal money means fewer dollars for our cities and counties to pay for programs and schools. Over a decade, Santa Clara County can lose about $2 million for every 100 people who are not counted.
The result of the census also decides how many members California will have in Congress. And it is important for the state to know its minority populations in order to draw legislative districts.
All information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau is private. Under federal law, the bureau cannot share its information with any other government agency.
Census questionnaires will be mailed beginning March 17th. The Census Bureau has selected April 1 as "Census Day.'' Responses to the questionnaire should reflect your household, as it exists on that day.
The census form is simple and takes only 10 minutes or less to complete. If you need help filling out the form call toll-free, 1-866-872-6868, or visit www.2010census.gov to find a questionnaire assistance site in your neighborhood. Census workers are available to sit down and complete the survey with you.
If you fail to complete a census form, a census taker will visit your home sometime in May or July to complete the count of your household.
So, please fill out your questionnaire and mail it in. California is counting on you!

2009: A Year in Review

In the past year, I have held community meetings with the goal of bringing together neighborhood members with city, county and local agency representatives. One such meeting was held in Alviso. While it stemmed from security issues at the Alviso Marina County Park, there were over 50 community members in attendance who voiced concerns ranging from traffic at the schools to multiple issues with mail delivery.

Another community meeting was in the Alum Rock area of San Jose where residents also raised a variety of concerns from waiting 7 years for a handicapped parking spot to property owners concerns about local agencies taking over their properties for additional parkland. My office has been diligently following up on these concerns and brought many of them to a happy conclusion, including having the handicapped parking spot installed, cleaning up of code enforcement and clearing up of the traffic issues.

During last year’s budget process and throughout the year, we at the county have taken innovative approaches to increase revenues and reduce costs so that the county can continue to provide the much need core services for our residents. I have put forward a proposal to utilize vacant land owned by the county for renewable energy generation which would offset the electrical usage of the county to free up money for other programs. I also initiated the formation of a special district which would allow county residents to access low cost financing to install solar panels and conduct energy efficiency retrofits on their homes.

As anyone who owns a vehicle knows, there is a significant amount of cost associated with maintenance and usage. Therefore, I have requested the Fleet Department to look into ways that we can utilize rental car companies to augment our fleet without having to purchase additional cars that would require additional upkeep. And we have asked them to begin “greening” our fleet with alternative fuel vehicles.

Additionally, I was able to convince the Metropolitan Transportation Committee to send an additional $5 million to the South Bay to help pave the way for the 101-Tully-Yerba Buena interchange. This is a much needed traffic relief project that will get a kick start from this additional funding. I know many of you travel this route and we will all appreciate the new improvements

While this has been a good start, I am determined to accomplish more in the next year. The Board of Supervisors will be beginning the budget process in the next few months and my staff and I will be going over every page with a fine tooth comb to ensure that not a single dollar is wasted. And we will be keeping our eyes and ears open for innovative ideas and concepts that will benefit our communities while reducing the costs to keep the core services of the county alive.

In addition, my staff and I will be making a concerted effort to continue my outreach to you to inform you of county services that are available to you and with guidance on how we can work together to benefit our communities.

And as always, I am here to help you or to listen to your suggestions. Please give me a call at (408) 299-5030 or email me at dave.cortese@bos.sccgov.org.

Dave Cortese
Supervisor, Third District