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Census 2010 Could Be Best, Worst in California History

By: Ashley Ritchie

At the Anthony Community Center in Visalia, people from all around the South Valley are preparing for Census 2010.

"We don't realize it. We think it's just numbers. It's not just numbers. There's a lot more to it," Lucia Solis said.

Solis is taking part in the U.S. Census Bureau's "Regional Census Outreach".

It's a program that teaches community members how to make people understand they're more than just a number.

"Census 2010 could be the most important census in the state of California's history. The state could lose a congressional seat and billions of dollars," Ditas Katague said.

Katague, with the governor's census office, says every year more than $400 billion is distributed to the state from the federal government.

That money is based on census numbers, which means each person not counted is another dollar down the drain.

"It's estimated over $1,200 per year per person that's not counted. So that's about $12,000 over a decade per person if they're not counted," Katague said.

Community volunteers spent the day learning about things like assistance centers and how they can become a "trusted messenger".

"Trusted messengers are those people who are going to go to the hardest to count areas in this area and get them to respond," Katague said.

"Trust is a big element. People do not like to give out information," Donna Morales, who is training for the census, said.

It's information that translates into better communities.

"The projected future for how many houses are going to be needed, the services, health care," Morales said.

"When you get a complete count, we know where the people are. And you get community centers like the one we're in today. You get better schools. You get better roads," Katague said.

The first census forms are expected to arrive in the mail next March.

People only have to answer ten questions.

And all of that information remains confidential.

The Census Bureau is looking to hire local residents to help in the process.

They'll start taking applications in November.