2000 Census
* Thank you for your excellent Sept. 4 editorial regarding the Census Bureau’s plans for Census 2000.
Statistical sampling is a vital component of the bureau’s plans to accurately count America in the next census. As the attorney who was assigned by City Atty. Jim Hahn to represent Los Angeles in the 1990 litigation that sought to require the use of statistical methods to correct for the undercount, I am convinced that 50 years of undercounting the poor and minorities can only be eliminated by the use of sound statistical procedures, including sampling. You are absolutely correct that California and Los Angeles lost congressional representation and millions of dollars in federal funds because the 1990 census dramatically undercounted persons living in our diverse city.
An accurate census is the cornerstone of our democratic government--without it, the promise of one person, one vote is an illusive dream.
JESSICA F. HEINZ
Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
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