Historic Mini-Assembly on Los Angeles Charter Reform

On December 13th, thirty-six residents gathered at the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles for seven hours to tackle one of the city's most contentious issues: how LA approves development and manages land use. These decisions shape housing supply, affordability, and neighborhood character—yet everyday Angelenos rarely get a real voice in the process.

This wasn't another one-minute public comment session. Participants were chosen by lottery from hundreds of sign-ups to reflect LA's demographic diversity. They spent the day hearing from experts, asking questions, debating tradeoffs, and ultimately voting on recommendations to send directly to the Charter Reform Commission.

Raymond Mendoza, chair of the Charter Reform Commission, joined the assembly and witnessed the deliberation firsthand. Dr. Mindy Romero, director of the USC Center for Inclusive Democracy, observed the process.

Four Recommendations Passed with Two-Thirds Majorities

After deliberating together, participants developed and voted on six recommendations. Four passed decisively:

1. Infrastructure Planning with Community Input – A 5-10 year plan for city infrastructure requiring transparent, community-driven processes with input from all city departments

2. Values-Driven Infrastructure – Infrastructure decisions guided by principles that prioritize long-term community wellbeing, sustainability, and equitable access

3. Robust Oversight and Clear Timelines – Stronger community oversight and input throughout the approval process, with timely deadlines to prevent projects from stalling indefinitely

4. Streamlined Permitting After Community Approval – Once zoning approval is granted through an accessible, equitable process with community input, expedited permitting to deliver housing while maintaining public transparency

   
   

Expert Voices Informed the Discussion

Participants heard presentations from three experts representing different perspectives on land use:

• Bill Fulton, UCSD urban studies professor, former planning director of San Diego, and past mayor of Ventura

• Mahdi Manji, Director of Public Policy at Inner City Law Center, leading efforts to expand affordable housing and advance equitable land use policies in LA County

• Jeffrey Kalban, principal of Kalban Architects and chair of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee

  
  

A Compressed Timeline, Real Results

The assembly used an expedited deliberation process developed by Alex Levi and Max Clark of PDLA in conjunction with RewriteLA . Ideally, this work would unfold over multiple sessions—and that's the goal for future full-scale civic assemblies. But even in a single day, participants demonstrated that everyday Angelenos, given time and information, can grapple with complex policy questions and produce thoughtful, concrete recommendations.

These recommendations now go before the Charter Reform Commission, where Chair Mendoza has committed to bringing them to a vote. This is democracy by lot in action: a diverse group of residents, chosen by lottery, shaping the rules that govern their city.