Mayor Bass Issues Executive Directive To Support Local Film And TV Industry

“Mayor Bass Issues Executive Directive to Support Local Film and TV Industry”

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass at the moment issued a brand new govt directive to help native movie and TV jobs by making it simpler for studios and impartial producers alike to shoot films, tv reveals and commercials right here in Los Angeles. Mayor Bass’ directive lowers prices and streamlines metropolis processes for on-location filming and will increase entry to iconic metropolis areas together with the Central Library, Port of LA and Griffith Observatory to make the Metropolis extra pleasant and supportive of native filming.

Mayor Bass additionally renewed her name on the state legislature to go Governor Newsom’s proposal to make historic investments within the state movie tax credit score to make California extra aggressive with the opposite states and international locations that supply highly effective monetary incentives to draw productions. The Mayor has been constant in her help for the leisure trade – a cornerstone of the Los Angeles economic system.

“The City is taking bold action to support our legacy industry,” stated 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.,” stated Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, creator of a present Council movement streamlining the movie allowing course of. “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.”

The improved govt directive orders Metropolis departments to chop rules and streamline processes for the movie and TV trade. Directions embody:

Requiring Metropolis departments to make iconic Metropolis areas extra accessible and reasonably priced for filming, such because the Griffith Observatory and the Central Library, by creating pointers for onsite filming, chopping assessment timelines and calling for the decreasing of sure Metropolis charges.
Decrease prices and coordination time by decreasing the variety of Metropolis departmental workers who’re assigned to watch filming on set to at least one complete Metropolis workers member, as Metropolis legislation permits. Present practices typically require quite a few workers to be onsite for a movie shoot.
Instituting a proactive, film-friendly strategy to communication between Metropolis departments and manufacturing, together with the communication of upcoming infrastructure initiatives that would impression filming schedules.

Mayor Bass’ actions to help movie and TV jobs in Los Angeles embody:

Established an Leisure Business Council to attract on the experience of trade leaders to behave on reversing the departure of productions and to maintain manufacturing native.
Issued Govt Directive 8 final yr to take steps to help the trade domestically, together with by establishing month-to-month activity power conferences with key departments and trade stakeholders and requiring all departments to have a delegated liaison for movie and TV manufacturing.
Created new studio and sound stage concierge companies, which minimize purple tape and supply direct help with metropolis departments. This system has helped 7 new studios and sound levels. As well as, about 8 million sq. ft of soundstage, media manufacturing, and related artistic workplace area are within the pipeline inside the Metropolis.

Mayor Bass stood alongside Governor Newsom, different officers and leisure trade and labor leaders in proposing a historic expansion of California’s Movie and Tv Tax Credit score Program, which was initially created when Mayor Bass served as Speaker of the California State Meeting. The Program has generated tens of billions of {dollars} in investments whereas creating practically 200,000 jobs.

Learn the total govt directive right here:

EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE NO. 11

Concern Date: Could 20, 2025

Topic: Reel Change: Supporting Native Movie and Tv Manufacturing

The Leisure Business is core to Los Angeles’ economic system and our Metropolis’s identification. The Metropolis, in partnership with the trade, has taken steps to stabilize and rebuild Los Angeles’ Movie and Leisure Business, which has lengthy been a cornerstone of our native economic system. Nonetheless, Los Angeles has confronted elevated competitors from different states and international locations. Mixed with the general decline in manufacturing, it has grow to be notably difficult for the native Movie and Tv sector. I stay dedicated to growing manufacturing in Los Angeles, and we are going to proceed to construct upon our efforts in renewing the Metropolis’s help for the Leisure Business with the urgency and dedication it requires.

In August 2024, I signed Govt Directive 8, to give attention to the trade workforce, streamline Metropolis processes for manufacturing and strategize on coverage to maintain manufacturing and jobs native. Since then, my workplace has introduced collectively trade stakeholders with our Metropolis departments to create a clear and buyer service-oriented tradition in direction of the trade. I additionally joined Governor Gavin Newsom to unveil a historic enlargement of California’s Movie and Tv Tax Credit score Program to $750 million; a program I initially created once I served as Speaker of California’s State Meeting.

I’m pleased with our efforts to help the Leisure Business, however there’s far more work forward to stay the premier location for productions. That’s the reason I reaffirmed our help for the trade throughout my current State of the Metropolis Handle. At the moment, I’m issuing Govt Directive 11, which proclaims a variety of procedural adjustments that can set the stage for lasting prosperity and resilience for the trade.

It’s clear that it has grow to be too tough and cost-prohibitive to movie within the metropolis and on Metropolis properties. As such, I instruct the related Metropolis departments, as specified under and the place relevant, as listed in Govt Directive 8, to implement and report again to my workplace, inside 30 calendar days, the next operational and procedural adjustments. The departments shall give attention to streamlining or minimizing procedures to keep away from requiring further workers.

Modifications to Streamline Metropolis Processes

On-site Screens and Employees: All departments shall assessment present procedures that assign on-site screens or workers, and develop a course of whereby no a couple of complete Metropolis workers member is required to be on-site at a filming location. This is applicable to the Division of Recreation and Parks, the Police Division (together with contracted retired law enforcement officials), the Fireplace Division, the Division of Transportation, the Common Providers Division, and every other Metropolis division that at the moment requires workers to be on-site. If Metropolis legislation requires a couple of workers member to be on a specific web site, a justification shall be offered in reference to the operational and procedural adjustments. Staffing must be completed in collaboration with FilmLA to make sure that there isn’t any pointless duplication of assets and efforts.
I additional instruct all departments to advocate how present charges related to on-site workers or inspections will be lowered and/or clarified when they aren’t required. The departments shall seek the advice of with the suitable events, together with FilmLA, to find out what ought to, and mustn’t, be charged to productions transferring ahead. This shall embody a assessment and suggestion for potential reductions on film-related charges for low-budget productions, firms filming for the primary time within the Metropolis, and pupil filmmakers (together with permits, on-site workers, inspections, and any current location-related charges).
Division of Recreation and Parks: For every scheduled filming, the division shall guarantee there’s a constant level of contact throughout the division’s operational hours to reply inquiries. That time of contact must be educated in regards to the scheduled filming. If a degree of contact is off obligation (i.e., the designated contact is part-time), the division ought to be sure that another contact is each out there and educated to supply the identical companies.
Division of Transportation On-Road Signage Posting: I instruct the Division of Transportation to make sure that there’s workers protection for on-street signage posting that embody the entire division’s common enterprise hours (i.e., 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM) to make sure that a division consultant is accessible all through the enterprise day.
Coordination with LA County: My workplace shall work with FilmLA and the County to find out the place, if any, intergovernmental processes and payment buildings will be streamlined for filming permits that contain each county and metropolis jurisdictions.

Alternatives for Metropolis-Owned Properties

Griffith Observatory: The Division of Recreation and Parks shall present the mandatory steps required to cut back its filming-related charges on the Griffith Observatory to their authentic charges previous to the 2022 payment improve. Filming must be allowed throughout the days and hours the power is closed to the general public and never in any other case in use when the Griffith Observatory is recurrently open to the general public. I additional instruct the division to advocate an affordable most variety of days per yr that the Griffith Observatory could possibly be used for filming, differentiating between productions that require full closure and those who require solely partial closure.
Central Public Library: The Library Division shall institute correct procedures and safeguards that might allow inside filming on the Central Public Library as soon as once more.
Division of Water and Energy: I request that the Division of Water and Energy institute correct procedures and safeguards to allow filming at division services, with out impeding public security or operations, or conflicting with any state or federal regulatory necessities. I additional request a report be offered to my workplace with an inventory of areas and description the steps being taken to permit filming.
Port of Los Angeles: I request that the Port of Los Angeles institute a coverage to cut back the division’s insurance coverage assessment requirement for filming from 7 enterprise days to 4 enterprise days.
All departments shall consider current Metropolis belongings to find out whether or not they are often utilized for filming-related functions (together with filming areas, parking, and different ancillary makes use of). I additional direct all departments to advocate procedures that might allow night-time scouting on Metropolis-owned properties, whereas additionally minimizing any related staffing impacts and prices.

Ongoing Communication

I instruct the next departments to fulfill with my workplace and stakeholders on a month-to-month foundation to resolve any ongoing points that productions are dealing with. FilmLA shall be included in these conferences. The Quarterly Activity Power (with all Metropolis departments) will nonetheless meet on a quarterly foundation and can happen of the month-to-month assembly for that individual month, until deemed in any other case.
I instruct the next departments to undergo my workplace, and FilmLA, on a month-to-month foundation, any public infrastructure initiatives (present and planning levels) that would impression extremely utilized filming areas, together with closures for momentary occasions and availability of Metropolis-owned belongings for filming-related functions. This is applicable to the next departments:
- Los Angeles Division of Transportation
- Los Angeles Division of Water and Energy
- Public Works Bureau of Contract Administration
- Public Works Bureau of Engineering
- Public Works Bureau of Sanitation
- Public Works Bureau of Road Lighting
- Public Works Bureau of Road Providers