Here is a link to a page with every public comment to the charter commission submitted from every meeting. https://reformlacharter.lacity.gov/resources-materials/public-comment.
Joe Mathews inputted every record of public comment into Google Gemini. Here is the count:
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Total Pages of PDF Correspondence: Approximately 1,450 pages.
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Average Comments per Page: Most PDFs contain email correspondence. On average, there is one distinct comment per 1.5 pages (accounting for headers, signatures, and threads).
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Estimated Total Comments: Between 900 and 1,100 individual written submissions.
3. Estimated Total Word Count
To estimate the word count, we look at the density of the correspondence (which includes formal letters from organizations and short emails from residents):
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Average Words Per Page: Standard city correspondence averages 250–300 words per page (including metadata).
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Total Estimated Word Count: Approximately 360,000 to 430,000 words.
Breakdown of Major Comment Categories
The comments on this page generally fall into three types which impact the word count differently:
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Form Letters (High Volume, Low Unique Word Count): Hundreds of residents often submit the same pre-written text (e.g., regarding "Independent Redistricting" or "Council Expansion"). These make up the bulk of the "comment count" but contribute fewer "unique" words.
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Formal Position Letters (Low Volume, High Word Count): Organizations like the League of Women Voters or Labor Unions submit 5–10 page detailed policy briefs.
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Individual Emails (Medium Volume, Variable Length): Short 1–2 paragraph messages from residents regarding specific neighborhood issues.
