RewriteLA is a coalition bringing civic assemblies to Los Angeles’s Charter Reform process. The coalition partners—Public Democracy LA, Healthy Democracy, Metagov, and Public Access Democracy—are working together to ensure everyday Angelenos have a direct voice in shaping the city’s foundational document.

Los Angeles is rewriting its City Charter for the first time since 1999. The Charter determines who holds power, how decisions are made, and how billions in public dollars are spent. Traditional reform processes feature sparsely attended meetings where speakers get only one minute to comment, with many critical issues never reaching the agenda.

RewriteLA secured a formal letter of commitment from the Charter Reform Commission endorsing civic assemblies as an official channel for public participation. Commission Chair Raymond Mendoza has pledged to bring assembly recommendations to a vote before the full commission.

The coalition organized two successful sprint-assemblies in December 2025 and January 2026, addressing land use decisions and city bill of rights respectively. In February and March 2026, RewriteLA convened Los Angeles’s first full civic assembly—forty residents selected via democratic lottery from 20,000 randomly mailed postcards—to deliberate on expanding City Council.

This marks the first time a major U.S. city has integrated a civic assembly into charter reform, demonstrating that sortition-based deliberation can play an official role in urban governance.