Politics

Counting on the Census

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host

Published April 15, 2009 at 6:40 AM PDT

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

The Census Bureau is gearing up for the big count in 2010. But many questions are being raised, from the high cost (estimated $15 billion) to the accuracy of the count to political partisan motivations. The outcome of the census will be watched closely by states like California, with a high number of minorities and a problem with out migration.

Maureen Cavanaugh: Once every ten years the United States Census Bureau tries to get an accurate count of all the people living in the country. Usually the census is not a very controversial topic, but it certainly is this time around.

Critics are up-in-arms about everything from the proposed cost of the 2010 census to how the census bureau is going to conduct the count. Meanwhile supporters are praising the census as an employment opportunity for census workers and are advocating a new method of counting called statistical sampling.

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Gloria Penner, political correspondent and host of Editors Roundtable on KPBS.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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