The City of Culver City, CA has commissioned the Center for New Democratic Processes (CNDP) to conduct the City’s first civic assembly to increase public participation in the budget process.
The second session of the Civic Assembly will bring together a new group of thirty Culver City residents, who are randomly-selected and stratified via lottery, to reflect the demographic profile of Culver City. Together they will learn about, deliberate, and make recommendations in response to the question:
“How might the City of Culver City increase public participation in the budget process?”
Culver City residents aged 18+ are now invited to submit an expression of interest form to join the applicant pool for this one-of-a-kind opportunity to contribute to the future of public participation and the budget process in Culver City.
A postcard inviting expressions of interest from Culver City residents has been sent to 10,000 randomly-selected households in Culver City.
Did you receive a postcard?
Note: the form will request the “Unique Code” / “Invitation Code” included next to your address on your postcard, so have that nearby.
If you don’t have a code, enter “NONE” in the appropriate field.
Selected participants will receive an honorarium of $675 for joining this three-day ($30/hour for 22.5 hours total), in person event. Selected participants will also receive a transportation stipend. Caregiving support will also be available, on a case-by-case basis, upon submission of accompanying documentation.
Dates / Times & Location:
The second session of the Assembly event will convene in person over three days in July 2026 between 9:00-4:30 each day. Participants must be able to participate all three days.
Session 2
- Thursday, July 16, 2026
- Friday, July 17, 2026
- Saturday, July 18, 2026
Location: The Assembly will meet in Culver City (event venue to be shared with selected participants).
How Do I Volunteer?
Culver City residents aged 18+ who are interested in joining the applicant pool for the Assembly are invited to submit an expression of interest form.
The form will request the following demographic information: age cohort, educational attainment, employment status, homeowner / renter status, gender, party affiliation, and race. These demographic categories were approved by the City of Culver City City Council on January 12, 2026.
Respondents will also be asked to select their residential neighborhood, whether or not they are / have been employed by the City of Culver City or are / have ever been on an appointed or voluntary City Commission, Board, or Committee, as well as their household income range. These responses were not included in the lottery selection process.
- You do not need experience with local government, public policy, or any familiarity with public finance or budgeting to apply – we are seeking individuals with a broad range of personal and professional experience.
- This project is not user or market research.
- Project organizers (CNDP) are not affiliated with any political party or advocacy campaign(s) or organizations.
Data Privacy: Individuals who submitted a form had their information pseudonymized and thirty participants have been randomly selected and stratified to include a broadly representative mix of residents in terms of age cohort, educational attainment, employment status, homeowner / renter status, gender, party affiliation, and race. Information submitted by respondents through this form has been collected, managed, and stored by CNDP and will not be shared with any third party. The City of Culver City will not collect, retain, or access respondent personal information collected by CNDP. Personal information shared with CNDP will remain confidential and not publicly disclosed. The aggregate demographic composition of the Civic Assembly participants will be included in the Participant Report but will not include any personally identifiable information.
Participant Selection
Individuals who submitted an expression of interest form were added to an applicant pool. A panel of thirty Assembly participants has been randomly selected and demographically stratified via lottery. Those selected via lottery have been invited to join the Assembly along with up to six alternate participants.
Project Background
On October 27, 2025, the City of Culver City, CA City Council approved a motion to authorize a civic assembly to develop strategies to increase public participation in the City’s budget process. On December 1, 2025, the City Council approved a professional services agreement with CNDP to design and implement the civic assembly following a competitive selection process. Assembly participants have been tasked with learning, deliberating, and making recommendations about how the City of Culver City can increase public participation in the budget process. The City of Culver City City Council unanimously approved the Assembly remit (“How might the City of Culver City increase public participation in the budget process?”) on March 16, 2026.
The City of Culver City announced an updated timeline for the Civic Assembly on April 22, 2026. That announcement can be found here.
The first Assembly session was held in May, 2026. Thirty Culver City residents gathered to explore and deliberate about the challenges and opportunities related to increasing public participation in the budget process. They also began to craft actions that could be taken in order to address the challenges and opportunities. The second Assembly session will build upon their work, further reviewing and refining actions that can be taken.
An interim update from the Civic Assembly will be presented to the City Council in June 2026. A final report will be prepared and submitted to the City and City Council upon conclusion of the second session of the Assembly in July 2026.
Commissioning Sponsor & Funder
CNDP has been commissioned by the City of Culver City Council to develop and implement the Civic Assembly on Increasing Public Participation in the Budget Process.
FAQ’s
What is a Civic Assembly?
- A civic assembly brings together a randomly selected group of community members to learn about, deliberate about, and make recommendations about an issue that affects them.
When and where will the event take place?
- The second session of the Civic Assembly will take place in Culver City (location to be shared with selected participants) on the following dates between 9:00-4:30 each day:
- Thursday, July 16, 2026
- Friday, July 17, 2026
- Saturday, July 18, 2026
Do participants have to participate in all three days (July 16 – July 18, 2026) of the Assembly event?
- Yes, selected participants must participate in all three days of the Assembly event.
Who is eligible to participate in this project?
- Residents of Culver City, CA who are 18 years and older and are available to attend all three days of the event are eligible to participate in the project. Selected participants will need to fill out a W-9 to receive their honorarium.
If my/our household received an invitation postcard, can multiple people from the same household apply using our “Invitation Code”?
- Yes, multiple members of a household can submit an Expression of Interest form using your “Invitation Code” if your household received the postcard.
What if I didn’t receive a postcard but still want to volunteer, can I submit an Expression of Interest form?
- Yes, just enter “NONE” in the appropriate field.
Do I need a high school degree or any formal experience with local government, public policy, or public finance / budgeting to participate?
- No, you do not need a high school degree or have any formal experience with local government, public policy, or public finance / budgeting to participate.
Who will be selected to participate in the assembly?
- Participants for the Civic Assembly will be Culver City residents (age 18+) stratified and randomly selected via lottery to include a broadly representative mix of people in terms of age cohort, educational attainment, employment status, homeowner / renter status, gender, party affiliation, and race.
Will participants be paid and how will they receive payment?
- Yes, individuals who are selected and who participate in all three days of Assembly session 2 will receive an honorarium ($675).
- Participants will be paid via check from CNDP after the event concludes.
How do I volunteer?
- Culver City residents who are age 18+ are invited to SUBMIT AN EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORM HERE.
How will I know if I’m selected to join the Assembly?
- Residents who are randomly selected via lottery will be contacted by CNDP to confirm their availability and participation in the Assembly. Only those individuals who are selected will be contacted.
Is this market or user research?
- No. This is a civic engagement project commissioned by the City of Culver City.
Is this project funded by or affiliated with a political party, advocacy campaign, or market research firm?
- No, CNDP is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic engagement organization selected by the City of Culver City to conduct the Civic Assembly.
Who is funding this project?
- Funding for this project has been authorized by the City of Culver City City Council.
What will happen to my data if I complete an expression of interest form?
- Individuals who submitted a form will have their information pseudonymized and thirty participants will be stratified and randomly selected to include a broadly representative mix of residents in terms of age cohort, educational attainment, employment status, homeowner / renter status, gender, party affiliation, and race.
- Information submitted by respondents through this form will be collected, managed, and stored by CNDP and will not be shared with any third party.
- Personal information shared with CNDP will remain confidential and not publicly disclosed.
- The City of Culver City will not collect, retain, or access respondent personal information collected by CNDP.
- Individuals who submit an expression of interest form but are not selected for the Assembly will have their information deleted by CNDP no later than September 30, 2026.
- The aggregate demographic composition of the Civic Assembly participants will be included in the Participant Report but will not include any personally identifiable information.
For more:
If you are interested in learning more about this project or are considering a public engagement initiative in your community, contact hello@cndp.us to explore partnership possibilities.