The census happens every 10 years and is the federal government's process of data-gathering that guides all sorts of decisionssuch as how federal funds are allocated, and how congressional district lines are drawn and how much representation a region gets in Washington. And given those high stakes, President Donald Trump's efforts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count have drawn immense backlash.

First, there was a proposal to include a new question:"Is this person acitizenof theUnited States?" Dozens of cities counties and states sued, arguing the question was contrived just for the purpose of intimidating non-citizens and discouraging them from completing the census. In June 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the plaintiffs' favor, and the question was dropped.

Fast-forward to July 21, 2020, with the census in full swing.Trump issued a memo that would alter the definition of "whole persons" used in census-based calculations, excluding undocumented immigrants.

Cue another round of lawsuits, again filed by a large coalitionnine cities and six countiesagainstPresident Trump, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Census Director Steven Dillingham.

On July 28, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted to join that lawsuit.

As we continue to work hard to get an accurate count in the 2020 Census, we want to send a clear message to our communities: if you live here, you count, Chris Lopez, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. Intentional and unconstitutional efforts to deter legal participation in the census will not go unchallenged. Our fair representation and equal access to funds depends on the census, we encourage every person living in Monterey County to stand up, log on, and get counted.

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Monterey County joins in suing Trump administration over exclusion of undocumented immigrants in census. - Monterey County Weekly