To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director to execute a Joint Statistical Agreement with the California Department of Finance.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Conservation and Development Director to execute a Joint Statistical Agreement with the California Department of Finance committing existing staff resources to participate as an affiliate data center within the California State Data Center Network.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No impact to the General Fund. The staff resources necessary to comply with the agreement are minor, have already been budgeted and will be covered by the Land Development Fund.
BACKGROUND:
The State of California participates in a national State Data Center program by entering into an agreement with the United States Census Bureau and by maintaining the legislatively-mandated State Data Center (SDC) as the lead agency and official liaison. The SDC is located within the Demographic Research Unit of the California Department of Finance.
The joint objectives of this program are:
• To expand the utility of Census Bureau data for research, administration, planning, and decision-making by the State of California, local governments, the business community, academia, and other interested users.
• To improve access to and extend the use of Census Bureau statistical resources and related products.
• To moderate costs to data users, particularly in obtaining computerized data.
• To provide a feedback mechanism to identify needed improvements in census data products, to facilitate planning, and to identify techniques for assisting users in accessing and using Census Bureau data.
The responsibilities of Contra Costa County Department of Conservation and Development include staff support and data resources to respond to demographic inquiries and provide technical assistance and data consultation. The Association of Bay Area Government (ABAG) is a Regional Data Center and provides support and data products to the County. The Conservation and Development Department currently has one staff member with part time duties associated with demographic data requests and analysis.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Agreement is not signed, there will not be a Contra Costa County affiliate data center in the Statewide Data Center Network.