Census chief in Vegas playing to local audience

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

(01-27) 11:19 PST LAS VEGAS, CA (AP) --

The local administrator of the U.S. Census plan to count every Nevada resident next year says he plans to enlist local help and emphasize local benefits of full participation in the every-10-years effort.

"I'm a federal employee. But I'm trying to downplay the federal role in all this," David Byerman as he prepared to open an office in Las Vegas on Tuesday. "It's more about Nevadans counting Nevadans."

Byerman acknowledged the need to overcome a Nevada brand of Western antipathy toward the federal government during the statewide canvass, which officials say could yield the state a fourth congressional seat and increased federal funding for roads, school and other projects.

The census also creates thousands of short-term jobs, Byerman said.

Byerman said Nevada is starting preparations sooner than most places, and said he plans to recruit thousands of canvassers from diverse communities. He noted that the 2000 census enlisted 4,000 people at its peak.

Those employed for the task are expected to focus on a fast-growing Hispanic population now believed to be at least 25 percent of the state's 2.6 million to 2.7 million residents — up from 10.4 percent in 1990 to 19.7 percent in 2000.

Officials call efforts to reach Spanish-speaking residents vital to gaining an accurate count in Nevada in 2009.

Arcadio Bolanos, an assistant manager for the 2000 census office in Las Vegas, called Hispanics "the X factor" in 2010, and said he felt there is more fear in the Hispanic community now than 10 years ago.

Officials say many people they hope to count have family ties with an estimated 150,000 illegal immigrants in the region. Anti-immigrant groups, high-profile government raids on workplaces around the country and a new program letting Las Vegas and immigration authorities identify and deport illegal immigrants from the Clark County jail could undercut the Census count.

"They're just thinking, 'Why should I help bring in more federal funds, if those funds are just going to be used to hunt down illegal immigrants?'" Bolanos said.

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Information from: Las Vegas Sun, www.lasvegassun.com
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... e=politics