Mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the Census is conducted each decade and provides the basis for reapportioning congressional seats, redistricting, and distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to support states, counties, and vital programs. Census data impacts housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy. Regrettably, there are a number of hard-to-count populations, which generally include racial and ethnic minorities, undocumented immigrants, individuals with diverse abilities, and people experiencing homelessness. The inability to reach these populations can create a severe undercount.

Maria Garcia, Director of the Census 2020 Initiative at the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation; Marcy Kaplan, the Sectors Outreach Manager for the California Complete Count Office for the State of California; and Alejandra Ramirez-Zarate, civil rights leader and Policy Research Analyst for the Political Voice team at Advancement Project California, join us for our Coffee & Conversation event on Thursday, February 27th. Speakers will explore the importance of an accurate Census count and discuss how they are reaching out to the hard-to-count populations.

With the imminent launch of the 2020 Census, every household will be contacted by April 1, 2020. As such, we are convening experts and advocates to talk about the power of the count and how our community can get involved. 

A light breakfast will be served. Dietary laws observed. 

Coffee & Conversation is a quarterly breakfast series hosted by our Community Engagement Strategic Initiative that covers civic issues of the day in an intimate setting.

Space is limited — RSVP today!

About Our Speakers:

Maria de la Luz Garcia currently serves as the Director of the Census 2020 Initiative for the Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti. In that capacity, she is responsible for ensuring that all Angelenos are counted in 2020. Working collaboratively with the County of Los Angeles and a diverse coalition of community stakeholders, she and her team are helping to build a regionwide Census 2020 outreach and education effort. ​Prior to serving in this position, Ms. Garcia served as the City Clerk for the City of Long Beach where she was responsible for administering municipal elections, maintaining municipal records, informing the public of upcoming City Council and Commission meetings, and officiating marriages. During her time there, she introduced a variety of civic engagement programs and led the efforts to consolidate the City’s June 2016 Runoff Election with the Statewide Primary Election, which resulted in historic voter turnout levels.

She has also led efforts in the City of Los Angeles to incorporate community voices in the electoral process in her capacity as Senior Project Coordinator for the City Clerk’s Election Division. While there, Maria launched the City’s first voter outreach and education campaign, known as “L.A. City Votes!”, in partnership with community organizations. Prior to working for the Los Angeles City Clerk’s Office, Maria oversaw the NALEO Educational Fund’s Voces del Pueblo voter engagement program where she focused on mobilizing low propensity Latino voters.

She has obtained Leadership Certificates from CORO Southern California and the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Leadership Academy. Ms. Garcia is a graduate of Vassar College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology. She received her Masters of Public Administration and Certificate in Public Policy from USC’s Price School of Public Policy.

Marcy Kaplan is currently the Sectors Outreach Manager for the California Complete Count Office for the State of California and is managing the statewide strategy and outreach efforts for the business, faith-based, health and labor sectors, as well as for the 0-5 population, Middle Eastern and North African population and for People Experiencing Homelessness. Marcy has over 10 years of experience working together with the public, private, and charitable sectors. Most recently as the Grant Writer for the Mar Vista Family Center, Marcy oversaw all foundation grants and outreach. In her previous role as Program Officer at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, she managed the organization’s advocacy grantmaking portfolio and provided advocacy and leadership development training to grantees. In addition, as the Director of the California Participation Project, Marcy brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to help launch the project and developed a pipeline for voter participation, education, and community engagement. Marcy has a BA in Psychology from UCSB and a Masters in Public Policy from UCLA. Marcy is also a Recreation and Parks Commissioner for the City of Santa Monica.

Alejandra Ramirez-Zarate is a civil rights leader working to create a more equitable and just world for all. Growing up as an undocumented immigrant and a woman of color, from a young age Alejandra was exposed to the systemic inequities and challenges communities of color often face in their everyday lives. Because of this, Alejandra dedicates herself to systems change and is a policy and research analyst for the Political Voice team at Advancement Project California. Through policy advocacy and facilitating databased collaborative action, Alejandra advocates for equitable public policies and administrative practices that expand opportunities for political participation, particularly for low-income communities of color. 

Alejandra works with community-based organizations, civil rights organizations, and government officials across the state to eliminate racial and economic disparities in public political participation. Her current research focuses on the 2020 Census, voting and elections systems, public participation in governance, and redistricting. Alejandra manages the We Count Los Angeles Census Table – a unique and collaborative network of nearly 200 organizations and government entities, working together to ensure a fair and accurate count of all Angelenos, regardless of citizenship and/or socioeconomic status.

Throughout the last decade Alejandra has been a fierce immigrant rights advocate, fighting for immigration reform and a path to citizenship for immigrants in the United States. As a seven year-old, Alejandra came to the U.S. from Guatemala with her parents in search of a better life. Alejandra grew up as a DREAMer in the San Fernando Valley and attended local schools. Alejandra received her B.A. in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Policy and Management at California State University, Northridge. Alejandra enjoys traveling the world with her husband and children and dancing cumbia and bachata.

Through the Jewish Federation's Community Engagement initiative, we bring together leaders from different backgrounds and perspectives to learn and work together on important issues in Los Angeles and Israel, promoting civil discourse and helping the Federation strengthen our community.

By signing up to attend this event, you agree to irrevocably grant to The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles — and to their employees, agents, and assigns — the right to take your photograph, record you, or use your image, silhouette, and/or other reproductions of your physical likeness, as well as your voice and/or words, for all purposes related to marketing and promotion of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, across all media. These rights are granted in perpetuity. You hereby certify and represent that you are of at least 18 years of age and have read the foregoing and fully understand the meaning and effect thereof.