It’s not enough to just issue more tax incentives. Among the many factors that have slowed production in Los Angeles to a crawl are some of the hoops filmmakers have to jump through to get a movie made in the city or state. And while it’s a small step, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday issued an executive order aimed to address those pain points.
Bass signed a directive that the city hopes to support local film and TV jobs by cutting red tape and streamlining city processes for on-location filming. For one, Bass wants to make it easier to shoot at iconic city locations such as Griffith Observatory, the Central Library, or the Port of LA, which historically has been free to shoot on city property, but required permission that was often hard to obtain. Part of that process will be to streamline communication, reduce review times, create guidelines for onsite filming, and reducing fees.
The city also through the directive wants to reduce the number of city officials required to be on film sets to supervise, which would help lower costs and coordination time. Numerous people are currently required, but the order would allow for just a single city staff member to be present on set.
Finally, the city above all wants to cut fees and make it more affordable to shoot here. No more “price gouging,” as Councilmember Adrin Nazarian called it, including from parking lot owners charging exorbitant rates to get crew to park near set.
“The City is taking bold action to support our legacy industry,” said Mayor Bass. “Keeping entertainment production in L.A. means keeping good-paying jobs in L.A., and that’s what we are fighting for. I am taking action alongside Councilmember Adrin Nazarian to make sure L.A. is always the best place for film and TV production while we continue to champion making California’s production tax credit more powerful. Hard working people across Los Angeles are counting on us.”
“I’m focused on making it easier to shoot in L.A.,” said Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, author of a current Council motion streamlining the film permitting process. “We need to cut the red tape and roll out the red carpet for our film crews. That means lower fees, an end to price gouging, and expedited approval for film permits. Film and TV production aren’t just essential to our economy, they’re essential to our identity as a city. For over a century, this industry has made Los Angeles a magnet for talent and a hotbed of innovation in culture and technology. If we want Los Angeles to remain the capital of the global entertainment industry, we need to Keep Hollywood Home.”
Bass also reiterated her support for the state of California to pass Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan to more than double the current state tax credit allotment to $750 million and make the state more competitive. But some have argued raising the limit doesn’t go far enough because of rules that exempt productions from counting above-the-line costs among qualified expenses, no carve outs or additional incentives for post-production to also take place in Los Angeles, and other red tape that has made qualifying for a credit, especially for indie productions, a hassle.
Bass since being elected in 2022 to office has established an Entertainment Industry Council to help reverse runaway production from LA and last year issued another executive order that would establish monthly task force meetings with industry stakeholders. She’s also helped build new sound stages and studios, which the city says amounts to an additional 8 million square feet of stages, media production, and creative office space within LA.
Read the full executive directive here.
