Charter Commission Approves Recommendation to Make Civic Assemblies a Permanent Part of the Charter Reform Process

On Thursday March 26, 2026, the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission took a groundbreaking step: voting to make civic assemblies a permanent part of the charter reform process. Under Section 493, Commission Administration, Personnel and Budget part C, the approved language states: 

The Commission shall enact a parallel civic assembly process to be conducted by Commission staff or through a partnership with an advocacy group or organization approved by the Commission.

This milestone for participatory democracy originated as a recommendation from delegates of the civic assembly organized by Public Democracy LA and Healthy Democracy which took place from February through March and focused on the size and structure of LA City Council. The first item in their report called on the Commission to “establish a permanent civic assembly, randomly selected to reflect LA demographics, to review, advise, and refer Council decisions back for consideration”. The Charter Reform Commission agreed this was essential and voted to approve it.

By embedding civic assemblies directly into the charter, this provision ensures that resident participation isn’t a one-time experiment, but a structural part of how Los Angeles governs itself. The Mayor and City Council will weigh in on this recommendation this Spring and if approved, voters will see it on their November ballot.