City Opens 3 Census Assistance Centers

Palmdale, one of the fastest-growing cities in America, has opened three offices to help the U.S. Census Bureau get an accurate count.

Questionnaire assistance centers opened this month at the city’s planning department offices, senior center and cultural center, Palmdale officials said this week.

“We had a number of meeting rooms available,” city spokeswoman Barbara La Fata said. “We’re just trying to help in whatever way we can.”

Volunteers and employees at the centers will explain how the population count works and can provide census forms in 49 languages, said Bob Spale, a clerk in the bureau’s Santa Clarita office.

Because federal, state and private money is often doled out based on census data, an undercount can mean millions of lost dollars. Palmdale’s population grew from nearly 78,000 in 1989 to 120,000 in 1998, La Fata said, making a new count crucial to future public spending issues, she said.

Questionnaire assistance will be provided at the city planning department, 38306 9th St. E., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., through April 14. For hours at the cultural center, 704 E. Palmdale Blvd., call (661) 267-5656. For hours at the senior center, 1002 E. Avenue Q-12, call (661) 267-5551.