Bay Area

A Roadmap for Counting More African Americans in California During the 2020 Census

Published

5 years ago

April 8, 2020

California Black Media (CBM) has released their updated and comprehensive, “Counting Black California-Counting the Hard to Count” study, identifying areas in the state where African Americans are least likely to be counted by the 2020 Census. The study examined 16 socio-economic variables among Black residents of census tracts throughout the state considered the “least likely to participate” and “less likely to participate”—classifications that are used by the Census.

The study concluded that the most effective way to get a complete count of African Americans in California would be to focus first on 41 distinct areas across the state—some, towns with only hundreds of Black residents; others, cities with Black populations approaching 100,000. These areas capture the vast majority of African Americans in California, and if focused on, would deliver efficient and effective results.

With the 2020 Census effort officially launching yesterday—especially given the significant challenges presented by the Coronavirus—the study is intended to help hit the target areas that will more than likely not respond to the states’ first push to reach residents to respond.

CBM’s executive director Regina Wilson stated, “We risk being undercounted because the Census is overshadowed by today’s crisis, but being undercounted means having fewer resources to battle tomorrow’s crisis as well. I support all of the hard-working Community organizations and ethnic media rising to these challenges to ensure our most vulnerable residents are counted. We hope this report will allow outreach organization’s to better pinpoint where our most vulnerable Black people live.”

The study was commissioned by CBM and authored by Walter Scott Hawkins, who spent 30 years in the California State University System, including serving as Director of Research & Policy Analysis at CSUSB. Hawkins said, “What makes this study unique is that we carefully selected variables that allow us to look solely at Blacks in California. We didn’t compare them to other groups, which so many other studies do. I believe we’ve created a road map for any organization educating the public to target historically vulnerable residents on the importance of self-response to the Census. I also believe the data will drive targeted results for our community during the 2020 Census and Non-Response Follow-up period.”

“The beauty of this report,” Hawkins continued, “is that it can be used by a range of city, county and state leaders to measure education results, deliver social services, track and advocate for affordable housing, etc. Black communities in California can’t afford another undercount,” Hawkins went on to say. “We know that the 2010 Census undercounted African Americans across the nation by more than 800,000, and approximately seven percent of young African American children were overlooked by that census.

Every policymaker and informed community leader understands the significant negative impact that an undercount of that magnitude can have on a community. We launched this study to avoid repeating that mistake; to provide a very detailed roadmap for counting Blacks in California. And importantly, we believe that the methodology can be replicated across the U.S.”

Download the study here: www.cablackmedia.org

Courtesy of CBA

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.