Tribes form complete count committees to promote census participation

Nesreen Khashan

U.S. Census Bureau

At the base of Palomar Mountain, about 20 miles east of the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, lies the Pala Reservation, home to the Pala Band of Mission Indians.

The 1,000-member Pala Tribe and 17 other small tribes in San Diego County have economic influence despite their size.

The tribe operates and owns a casino that is a major economic contributor in the region, with annual purchases of goods and services of $80 million, a monthly payroll of $5 million and 1,900 employees, both tribal and nontribal.

The tribe offers early childhood education classes, runs a charter elementary school, provides a youth center and library and operates its own utilities. The tribe's other enterprises include grapefruit and avocado orchards and commercial leasing properties in Idaho and California.

For the last 29 years, Chairman Robert Smith has led tribal members on the tribe's 12,273-acre territory.

And for the third time, Smith is leading the Pala Tribal Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census.

As he has done in the past, Smith has taken the mantle of promoting the count by linking the importance of an accurate count to the resources and economic vitality of the reservation and nearby communities.

"I'm getting their attention because when we start using the numbers, it helps them understand the importance of a complete count," Smith said of his engagement with tribal members.

Smith selected the five members of the committee with influence and succession in mind, he said. Recruitment is one of the committee's most robust initiatives and another way that Smith said the younger generation can feel more invested.

"I'm a firm believer because I've been through it so many times that you have to hire your own people to get the count," Smith said. "You have a small committee that are energetic and young. It teaches them that it's going to be a positive experience for the community."

The committee conducts outreach during scheduled annual events on the reservation. Most recently, it set up a booth at the tribe's annual Cupa Days, an annual festival in May that highlights the tribe's arts and crafts, performing arts and foods.

San Diego County's independent tribal governments meet quarterly for coordination purposes. Smith considers that another important forum to promote the 2020 Census.

"When we meet, they sometimes bring up the lack of funds (to their communities), and I tell them that this is why you need to get an accurate count," he said.

Jessica Imotichey, the Census Bureau tribal partnership coordinator serving the Los Angeles Region and a registered member of the Chickasaw Nation, credits Smith's leadership for opening doors for her with other tribes.

"I'm now having tribes call me to inquire about the census," she said. "They are starting to understand the importance, and I really think it is due to the leadership of Chairman Smith."

Smith will also join the other committees from California and the San Diego Association of Governments. He will be a lead member of their tribal working groups, ensuring that coordination and outreach on tribal lands and among the tribes has a wider reach.

Nesreen Khashan is supervisory program analyst for the Census Bureau's Community Partnership and Engagement Program.