Rivera: “New York City Can’t Be Foolish When it Comes to the Census”
City Council Members Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Gramercy Park) and Carlos Menchaca (D-Red Hook, Sunset Park) wrote an editorial for the Gotham Gazette yesterday about the importance of the 2020 Census.
As they explained in the article, the census is more than just a simple head count; it’s used to guide domestic policy on several different levels. The outcome of the Census will determine how much New York receives in federal funding and how much representation the state holds in the electoral college, among other things.
They also pointed out that New York’s population is routinely undercounted in the decennial census. This, they said, is because a large percentage of New Yorkers live in “hard-to-count” neighborhoods, or neighborhoods comprised of people at risk of being passed over, such as frequent movers or non-English speakers.
However, as co-chairs of the New York City Council’s 2020 Task Force, Rivera and Menchaca asserted that they would ensure that everyone gets counted.
“We are working with each of the city’s 51 Council members to coordinate outreach with local organizations that have a proven track record in their communities,” wrote Rivera and Menchaca. “Regardless of the difficulties we face, we know we must succeed, in part because we both personally know what failure could mean for New Yorkers.”
Chin, Lander to Rally for Reducing Waste
City Council Members Margaret Chin (D-Battery Park City, Chinatown) and Brad Lander (D-Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens) will be rallying tomorrow in support of the plastic bag ban enacted by the New York State budget.
This year’s state budget included a statewide ban on the usage of single-use plastic bags at supermarkets and convenience stores. Chin and Lander will be speaking about the additional measures that need to be taken to reduce bag waste, and the new legislation they’ve introduced for that purpose.
The rally is slated for today at 11 a.m., on the steps of City Hall.
Levine Calls Out Trump for “Weaponizing” Census
City Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan Valley, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights) sent out a series of tweets yesterday accusing President Donald Trump (R) of trying to use the 2020 Census as a weapon against immigrants.
Yesterday morning, Trump sent out a tweet lambasting the “Radical Left Democrats” for trying to have citizenship status removed from the 2020 Census. Levine accosted Trump for the remark, claiming that the president was trying to use the census as a tool to identify and deport undocumented immigrants.
“The 2020 Census is one year from today,” said Levine. “[Trump] is trying to weaponize this vital institution like he has so many others. We need to work our hearts out over the next year in NYC, to ensure no amount of venom coming from the White House keeps our people from being fully counted.”
