These are companion documents. The presentation and paper were based on analyses Ed and Gregg undertook of response rates and the consequential implications for use of those data. They focus specifically, the Fresno County Westside sub-county region, as an example of the kind of area where there will be a great deal of inequity in census-driven funding for Title I Compensatory Education due to varying levels of self-response to Census 2020 and even lower response to the American Community Survey.

In the course of doing the presentations and discussions with Census colleagues, we were excited to learn of the efforts of a number of census researchers and planners within the Bureau to innovatively confront the challenge of enumerating “hard to count”/“historically undercounted” populations. The energetic network of researchers concerned about equitable representation of undercounted populations seems to be eager to explore pathways toward solutions that will really work in vulnerable, where there are many crowded houses with several families share one dwelling (“complex households” and properties with “back houses”, backyard trailers, etc.

This paper analyzes patterns of census response in California showing that state-level tabulations conceal substantial variations in self-response that, in turn, determined undercount in historically- undercounted communities. It provides a basis for more fine-grained reporting of deep pockets of undercount—since Census Bureau research shows a strong correlation between level of self-response and eventual undercount.

This document presents the comments Ed submitted in response to a Federal Register notice asking for public input on efforts to improve census quality in Census 2030. He addressed each of the 5 topic areas the Census Bureau asked about.  Discussion of a number of the suggestions is continuing as planning moves forward.

In this presentation Ed analyzed the extent, nature and location of undercount in undercounted communities in Western Fresno communities, and the implications of the differential undercount.

The article documents a novel approach used to improve the census address list in California in the Local Update of Census Address (LUCA) phase of the decennial census. Local government and community- based organizations partnered to conduct in-field address canvassing to identify hidden housing previously omitted from the list and not included in local administrative records used for in-office address LUCA review of address lists. Areas with about 1 million housing units were canvassed and 13,000 newly-identified housing units were added to the Census Bureau’saddress list. The tract-level “yield” of newly[-identified hidden housing units varied but overall return on investment was high. Adding 1.3% newly-identified housing units to the pre-LUCA address list means that about 46,000 California low-income residents who otherwise would have only a slim chance of being enumerated could be counted in 2020. This represented a significant contribution toward overcoming the longstanding undercount of minorities and immigrants in these neighborhoods. This strategy, occasioned by the U.S. Census Bureau’s decision to limit its own in-field address canvassing to only 30% of the nation, has particular relevance for census enumeration in less-developed communities. It demonstrates the efficacy of drawing on social, cultural, and civic capital in communities with limited financial resources to ameliorate the negative impact that budget constraints on central government funding have on fair and accurate census enumeration.

The Blog post discusses patterns of differential undercount within counties, in comparison to state-level differences in state response, and the factors which affect it.

Ed discusses Customs and Border Patrol’s (CPB’s) use of Title 42, a very problematic attempt originally put in place by the Trump administration to justify summary deportation of all migrants, including asylum seekers. to Mexico or their country of origin based on public health grounds.  Use of Title 42 was terminated in May, 2023.

In this PowerPoint Ed discusses the concept of ‘Trusted Voices” and how a messaging campaign has to be crafted to support and enliven those voices. This national conference focused on improving access to COVID-19 testing at a point when vulnerable populations encountered serious difficulties in accessing testing. The principles discussed were used also to inform campaigns to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake among farmworkers.

These opinion pieces discuss how efforts to cut Census Bureau funding in FY24 will undermine data accuracy in North Carolina and rural areas throughout the U.S., and cost the These states billions of dollars. Ed’s discussion explains how the changing demographics of the rural U.S, along with decreasing public response to surveys requires adequate funding for promising Census Bureau efforts to overcome longstanding patterns of undercount of racial minorities and low-income families.

These three papers report the results of a study of 600 immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley in 2018 willingnes to respond to the census in order to assess the likely impacts of anti-immigrant politicians’ efforts to include a question on citizenship status. Research methods employed both quantitative and qualitative methods, collected from a stratified random sample. The findings showed that going forward with a decennial census including the citizenship question would have short term and long- lasting negative impacts on census and American Community Survey response for years to come. The papers are also available through San Joaquin Valley Census Research Project reports: www.shfcenter.org/sjvhealthfund www.cirsinc.org/publications/current-publications

In these PowerPoints Ed discusses the need to build on existing insights regarding how housing and neighborhood impact farmworkers’ health. He emphasizes the importance of decreasing stressors that undermine farmworkers’ psychological well-being and the need for more strategic advocacy to plug holes in current service delivery systems. The presentation includes analysis of COVID-19 transmission in crowded households.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues, even while the virus appears less virulent and people are tired of public health guidance. In this environment, while new resources are available, as of Summer 2022, for combatting the pandemic, it’s increasingly clear that better local, state, regional, and federal strategies are (still) not well-designed or adequately funded to more equitably help vulnerable sub-populations. In a series of Opinion pieces for different media audiences, Ed has tried to nurture strategic discussion, planning, and action to promote constructive efforts as we move into Fall and Winter seasons, when they may be yet another surgel. In these posted pieces, Ed addresses local level issues (in the Fresno Bee); state level issues (in The Arizona Republic/azcentral); issues along the border (also in The Arizona Republic/azcentral); and nationally, given Congressional inaction (Ethnic Media Services). While each is aligned with our overall perspective, the focus on different specific levels, offers textured recommendations for moving forward.

In this opinion piece, Ed discusses the level of protection against COVID that Latinos have been able to achieve in Fresno County, and how to bolster health outcomes in Fresno county. While Fresno has done better in serving Latinos (and farmworkers in particular) than some other counties, the levels of access to vaccination and anti-viral treatments still vary a lot. He briefly documents this and makes some suggestions for how to move forward.

https://Fresnobee.com/opinion/op-ed/article264564196.htm

In this opinion piece, Ed discusses the challenges Arizona and similar states face in making the “Test-to-Treat” approach work effectively in rural contexts with population subgroups who do not speak English and have different cultural backgrounds. Going beyond the challenges, he suggests strategies to move forward, given that the pandemic is not over.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/08/09/covid-antiviral-treatment-paxlovid-uneven-access-arizona/10252158002/

In this opinion piece Ed discusses how Title-42 (the Trump administration effort to close the border to asylum-seekers) has functioned for the US, and how the provisions have ended up replacing a science-driven strategy with a politically-inspired mythology. He goes on to discuss what has failed with the implementation of the Title-42 initiative, its impact both on the US and the population to whom it is applied, and what it would take to improve it/align it with meaningful public health objectives.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2022/07/07/title-42-doesnt-stop-covid-19-border-healthier-response/7815314001/

The dire consequences of political warfare in Congress leads to expedient policy that increases health disparities for vulnerable populations. In this opinion piece, Ed discusses the newest shift in national strategy, moving to ‘commercialize’ COVID-19 response, putting the burden on the individuals to make the right choices and leaving uninsured families out in the cold. This discussion focuses specifically on the plight of the rural poor, and brings light to the issues for those who are farmworkers, many of whom often have neither health insurance, or time, or access to health care or the organizations which provide it.

https://ethnicmediaservices.org/covid-19/commercializing-covid-19-response-is-bad-news-on-all-fronts/

The efforts to address healthcare issues during the COVID-19 pandemic mobilized the public health system in the U.S., engaging communities in many different ways. Some strategies worked better than others - in some communities there was collaboration among public health agencies and community organizations, and in some communities philanthropic organizations had a direct hands-on approach fostering health care. In this presentation, we shared with fellow funders concerned about sustainable agriculture what we’ve learned in efforts to improve local response to the COVID-19 pandemic in California’s agricultural communities. (PDF file, 8 slides) June 20, 2022

This paper focuses on ways in which improved data collection, analysis, and reporting by local public health departments could improve strategic response in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic in farmworker communities. The paper shows that COVID-19 impacts farmworker communities much more heavily than non-farmworker ones and that impact is explained not only by workplace exposure but, also, by living in a crowded household. These insights will be helpful in efforts to make COVID-19 testing more accessible to farmworkers and in rolling out a national vaccination campaign that will recognize the vulnerability of farmworker communities. (PDF file, 32 slides) December 3, 2020

California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) has broadened its oversight of labor relations as one to include assessment of agricultural employers COVID-19 response and efforts to find practical ways to improve workplace safety. This is in stark relief to the narrowly-framed U.S. Department of Labor response which simply signed on to rudimentary CDC guidance about best practices to safeguard the well-being of farmworkers. This document has the comments submitted by Ed Kissam to in preparation for its hearing on COVID-19 strategy in California on 11 Aug 2020. (PDF file, 4 slides) October 7, 2020

The guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), for agricultural employers and farmworkers, incorporates a fair amount of useful advice and insights, but fails to provide advice that actually improves employer and worker behavior/practices in combating COVID-19. An Executive Summary of the full paper (2pages) is posted along with the paper itself (23+ w pages), which provides more detail.

In brief, we observe that CDC’s guidance is vague and more oriented to bureaucratic realities than human realities and shows no recognition about what the demographic and socioeconomic realities of U.S. farmworker life and labor-intensive agricultural production imply for strategies to control COVID-19 transmission in the workplace, in farmworker households, or in agricultural communities.

If CDC fails to provide adequate information about the risk of COVID-19 transmission and about the probability of serious consequences for those who are infected, it cannot expect to secure an adequate level of compliance with social distancing, self-isolation, and self- quarantining or to catalyze other still more innovative strategies to reduce transmission and improve health outcomes in farmworker families. July 5, 2020

This is a PowerPoint presentation by Ed Kissam on the specific strategic usefulness of Community-based COVID-19 Case-tracing for the San Joaquin Valley. (PDF file, 17 slides) June 4, 2020

This “working paper” is a detailed examination of how a Community-based approach differs from the system currently being rolled out in California for COVID-19 case investigation and tracing; and how such a component is crucial for accelerating statewide progress while, at the same time, improving accuracy/reliability of data secured in the process. This paper then continues to explore the challenges to be confronted in recruiting, training, and deploying the case-investigation/contact-tracing workforce needed to function effectively in minority and immigrant communities. It builds on the rapidly-evolving epidemiological analysis and presentations by teams in Massachusetts and San Francisco, regarding the process they use and the problems they have faced. (PDF file, 24 pages) May 8, 2020

There is general consensus among epidemiologists on the need for contact or case-tracing. Beyond the general issues of staffing and broad organizational capacity to conduct the level of case-tracing needed to permit systematic opening-up of counties, states, and regions of the U.S., there needs to be focused attention to the demands of case-tracing in communities with linguistically and culturally diverse and densely housed populations. This paper discusses the criteria for building such a Corps. (PDF file, 11 pages) April 21, 2020

Carefully considering the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic and how to reduce R0 has important implications for initiatives designed to help keep farmworkers and their families safer. The strategy recommended in WKF paper 2, Keeping Farmworkers Safe At Work and At Home In The COVID-19 Pandemic, points to crowded housing as a major problem. We argued that, at the same time, steps could be taken to address the housing and that these provide a promising “pressure point” for reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the vulnerable farmworker community. This 3rd paper, focuses on that issue. (PDF file, 9 pages) April 6, 2020

This paper discusses what needs to be done to mitigate the workplace risks faced by agricultural workers. Starting from the point that following the CDC guidelines is important, it goes on to address what else needs to be done to defeat COVID-19. It emphasizes that decreasing the risk cannot be the responsibility of any single stakeholder, that federal, state, local government, agricultural employers, farmworker advocates, and local health care providers need to work together. (PDF file, 13 pages) March 30, 2020

As the coronavirus pandemic progresses, and agricultural workers continue work, it’s imperative to look at the extent of risk they face and how to mitigate it. This paper utilizes data from the early epidemiological analysis to provide an estimate of worst-case impact as the basis for identifying strategies tailored to work well in addressing the specific aspects of farmworkers’ lives which puts them at risk. Subsequent papers discuss key issues and describe some strategies in more depth. (PDF file, 9 pages) March 23, 2020

In these papers Ed analyzes the impact of census operations on the count and undercount of minority populations, specifically Latin American immigrants.

This paper is an analysis of the likely impact of the inclusion of a citizenship question, used as proposed by the Census in their operational plan, on the privacy of the data they are legall required to protect, under Title 13. (PDF file, 17 pages) 2018

These papers draw on in-person interviews with 600 first and second generation immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley, conducted from September through December 2018, to ascertain the impact of including a question on citizenship would be likely to have on immigrants' participation in the 2020 Census. (Link to 3 papers, fourth due late April, 2019)

A worksheet prototype for pro-census network to use in planning procedural advocacy and outreach campaigns to promotecensus participation, to enhance traditionally hard to count households overcome the response barriers they face, and for California and other states to prepare to push back in the event of a seriously inaccurate census . Prepared for a presentation to San Joaquin Valley policymakers and census activists on 4 April 2019.

Ari Berman,senior reporter at Mother Jones, covering voting rights. and the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America., contributed a piece on the issue of the making the 2020 Census representative of the American population. He covers the pilot community-based address canvassing supported by WKF. April 5, 2018

Census undercount of low-income minority and immigrant families deprives communities of equitable representation and their fair share of census-driven program funding. There is a one-time opportunity during March-June, 2018 for cities and counties to take a major step toward addressing this problem by incorporating community-based address canvassing into the their efforts as part of the Census Bureau’s LUCA (Local Update of Census Addresses). This report details the results from highly successful pilots designed to test this strategy in three California cities: San Jose, San Francisco, and Fresno. It also includes practical resources developed in the pilot to help cities move forward rapidly to implement the strategy in the short time available. (pdf, 21 pages) March 7, 2018

A review of the evidence for undercount of Mexican immigrant-headed households in past censuses (more than 6 times the most-commonly reported Census Bureau estimate of Hispanic undercount). Published in The Statistical Journal of the IAOS (the International Association for Official Statistics), 33 (2017) 797–816, the paper discusses the causes of undercount, and suggests approaches to address this chronic problem in Census 2020 (pdf, 20 pages) August 29, 2017

A summary review of the causes of Census undercount and strategies to address the issue. (pdf, 14 pages) August 1, 2017

A Summary Review of Research Relevant to Housing Units Missing from the Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF), written and disseminated to inform stakeholders in Census 2020. (pdf, 15 pages) October 3, 2016

This paper is a companion piece to the strategy paper. It details the analysis of level of impact for Ca. from Census-driven funding achieved through improving Census master address files (MAF). (pdf, 14 pages) October 10, 2016

This paper presents a strategy to improve the 2020 California Census by reducing undercount among California’s poor and immigrant residents. (pdf, 12 pages) September 2, 2016

These are a series of older papers Ed and colleagues have contributed related to improving pathways for immigrants to be integrated into their communities and contribute to them and advocate for themselves and their families.

This paper describes a more cost-effective and flexible way to balance the needs of both agricultural employers and current U.S. farmworkers and, at the same time, decrease abuses of newly-admitted foreign workers. It advocates a new immigration program to replace H-2A and H-2B. (pdf, 18 pages) September 6, 2016

A summary document submitted to OMB regarding the Participant Data and Reporting Formats. Comments identify specific shortcomings for making use of the data collected and reporting provided to track and improve services to priority participant subgroups receiving workforce development and skills training. (pdf. 16 pgs) May 2016

A position paper arguing for a ‘full scope’ implementation model to launch DACA and DAPA applicants through and beyond the process to fulfill its promise for them, their families, and their communities. (pdf, 12pgs) April 2016

A PowerPoint presentation highlighting the potential impact of DAPA and DACA, if the Supreme Court allows them to continue, for farmworkers, the agricultural workforce in general, the rural communities in which they live, and employers; and what employers need to do to leverage that impact. Presented at UC Davis Water, Labor and Immigration Conference, 15 April 2016 (pdf 20 slides) April 2016

A brief describing concretely the costs and benefits of applying for DACA authorization. Designed as part of a marketing packet and discussion (pdf 10pgs) February 2016

February 2013

January 2015, funded in part by WKFamilyFund.

Describes the status of the Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund, as of December 2014.

Description of a planning tool for crafting effective and efficient delivery strategies for implementing DACA and DAPA assistance.

Click here for a PowerPoint abstract of the tool, and how to use it.

This is a short report with the number of undocumented farmworkers in in the United States likely to be eligible for deferred action under the DACA and DAPA programs, December 12, 2014.

Powerpoint Presentation to the 2014 Western Forum for Migrant and Community Health; Seattle, Washington, February 26, 2014.

This is the first of three reports on the lives of 12 immigrant households: mostly farmworker, mostly indigenous, families in Fresno County. It is based on 2 years of ethnographic research by CBDIO's field researchers, Anna Garcia and Jorge San Juan,(44 pages) September, 2013.

These are Ed Kissam's comments on our rationale for supporting this research and several key implications for current policy delivered at a community meeting/press release, September, 2013, at Sierra Vista Clinic, Fresno California . On the panel also were Rick Mines and Hugo Morales. Also please see the link to the Univision coverage of CBDIO's community meeting/press release.

Presentation by Ed Kissam to the 2013 Migrant Education National Forum of Migrant Recruiters, October 2013. PowerPoint

Preliminary technical notes presented to Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) to stimulate discussion of funding strategies, at a meeting in October, 2013.

In English and Spanish on the New America Media website

Published online in Proceedings of the Conference on Survey Methods for Hard-to-Reach Populations, American Statistical Association, December 2012

Aguirre Division, JBS International 555 Airport Blvd. - Suite 400, Burlingame, CA 94010