COMMUNITY URGED TO RETURN CENSUS FORMS VALLEY COUNT ACCURACY VITAL.

Byline: Jennifer Hamm Staff Writer

Census forms are due today, and officials - from school rooms to Washington, D.C. - are urging residents to mail them in so the Valley can benefit from an accurate count.

``We have got to get everybody in the Valley counted. We need every dollar that can come to the Valley,'' said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills. ``And it's not just government. We need to show business that the Valley is big, the Valley is important, that the Valley is one hell of a market.''

Although today has been designated Census Day, the day short and long forms are due back, census officials will continue to collect the forms for the next few weeks.

To celebrate Census Day, however, officials will sponsor Rally in the Valley today in Pacoima, featuring mariachi bands and information about the importance of the count done every decade. About 10,000 people are expected to enjoy the music and take the chance to fill out their census forms.

Traditionally, residents in poorer neighborhoods have lagged in returning questionnaires, said David Heer, director of the Population Research Laboratory at USC.

About 66 percent of Westlake Village residents have turned in their census forms, while 48 percent of the people in San Fernando have sent back the form, according to the U.S. Census Bureau on Friday. Forty-six percent of Los Angeles residents have sent in the forms, while the national average as of Friday was 50 percent.

``The better educated you are, the more likely you are to send in your returns,'' Heer said. ``Better-educated people are more likely to know the consequences of an accurate census count.''

Census data are used for allocating federal funds, drawing congressional boundaries and making other decisions that affect communities.

In 1990, about 838,000 Californians were not counted, causing the state to lose $5 billion, officials said.

``Many times, the very people who don't respond are the people who benefit the most from that funding,'' Glendale City Councilman Sheldon Baker said.

Funding for a federal program that provides services for disadvantaged children is determined by census data, said Jim Brown, superintendent of the Glendale Unified School District. An undercount means ``the services would be limited.''

Burbank Mayor Stacey Murphy said the census helps communities secure more than funding.

``It really gives us an indication of the kind of services we need,'' Murphy said. ``It's a lot more than just the money.''

To prevent another undercount, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Complete Count Campaign launched an effort this year called ``How America Knows What America Needs'' to inform people about the census. Billboards in Spanish are posted across the Valley, for example, aiming to assure residents that census information is kept confidential.

The U.S. Census office in Van Nuys expects a flood of forms to come in over the weekend, said Anthony Greno, spokesman for the Los Angeles region.

People often think they have to wait until the beginning of April to return the form, he said. Forms in other languages, such as Spanish, were just sent out this week and should be returned within the next few days, Greno said.

Census takers will wait until the middle of the month before they start going door-to-door to count residents who did not send in their forms.

The U.S. Census Bureau Web site, www.census.gov, shows daily updates on the rate that communities around the nation are sending in their census forms.

CENSUS RALLY

WHAT: Census Day Rally in the Valley.

WHEN: Today, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: 13630 Van Nuys Blvd., Pacoima, Between Amboy and Haddon avenues.

CAPTION(S):

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Box: CENSUS RALLY (See text)