That's really hard-to-believe with Mesa's long history of intimidation for immigrants and non-citizens - now he wants them counted. Why?
Giles was part of a U.S. Conference of Mayors panel Thursday on the 2020 Census that considered whether the citizenship question would have a “chilling effect,” leading to an undercount of all citizens and underrepresentation of key demographics - that could cost the City of Mesa MILLION$ in federal funding and congressional representation.
“The idea of adding a citizenship question to the census is just stupid,” he said. “It’s going to have a chilling effect. It’s going to result in people being intimidated by the census.”
The data collected in 2020 will impact 2021 congressional and legislative redistricting in Arizona, affecting the number of seats the state has in Congress and the number of representative that cities and counties have in the State House. Federal officials will the same data to determine the distribution of federal funding and to sort through grant applications from cities for programs and infrastructure.
BAD DATA When the City of Mesa itself consistently rigs data all the time?
“It’s all based on data. So if you have bad data, or data that understates who you are, that’s going to come back to you in smaller allocations,” Giles said. “Particularly for cities like Mesa, which are very fast-growing, this has a tremendous impact.”
“The point of the census is not to use it as a political tool to accomplish political means,” Giles said. “We’re going to have to live for the next 10 years with these numbers.”
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Giles was part of a U.S. Conference of Mayors panel Thursday on the 2020 Census that considered whether the citizenship question would have a “chilling effect,” leading to an undercount of all citizens and underrepresentation of key demographics - that could cost the City of Mesa MILLION$ in federal funding and congressional representation.
“The idea of adding a citizenship question to the census is just stupid,” he said. “It’s going to have a chilling effect. It’s going to result in people being intimidated by the census.”
The data collected in 2020 will impact 2021 congressional and legislative redistricting in Arizona, affecting the number of seats the state has in Congress and the number of representative that cities and counties have in the State House. Federal officials will the same data to determine the distribution of federal funding and to sort through grant applications from cities for programs and infrastructure.
BAD DATA When the City of Mesa itself consistently rigs data all the time?
“It’s all based on data. So if you have bad data, or data that understates who you are, that’s going to come back to you in smaller allocations,” Giles said. “Particularly for cities like Mesa, which are very fast-growing, this has a tremendous impact.”
“The point of the census is not to use it as a political tool to accomplish political means,” Giles said. “We’re going to have to live for the next 10 years with these numbers.”
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Giles, other mayors blast plan to ask citizenship status on 2020 Census
Mesa Mayor John Giles, right, and Providence, Rhode Island, Mayor Jorge Elorza talk to audience members after a panel on the impact that a question on citizenship might have on response rates for the 2020 Census. Mayors fear it could have a “chilling effect” and result in an undercount. (Photo by Alyssa Klink/Cronkite News)
Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019
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