LA Closes In On Measures To Bolster Local Production As City Council Sets Vote
Los Angeles is making some headway with its plans to stem the tide of mid-budget productions moving to other cities in America.
LA City Council is set to vote on a motion, introduced by Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, that would help reduce “onerous regulations and permitting” as well as other “unnecessary fees, inconsistent safety requirements.”
Nazarian introduced the motion earlier this month and the council will vote on it tomorrow (Tuesday April 29). The plan is designed to keep film, television and commercial production in Los Angeles. “The City must act quickly, as we risk losing significant market share to other areas of the country,” said Councilmember Nazarian.
This comes as the first quarter of the year saw more than a 22% decline in shoot days, compared to the same period in 2024, according to FilmLA.
Nazarian wants to reduce the regulatory obstacles to make the city more competitive with other cities in the U.S., notably cities in Georgia and New Mexico, as well as other countries such as the UK and Eastern Europe.
The motion directs the city’s Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA), and all relevant departments to report back on adjustments to city fees, permits, parking and security requirements for location shooting, filming on city-owned property and certifying new sound stages.
“More production means more jobs for L.A. families, and the communities where they live and shop,” he added. “In addition to providing stable, well-paying jobs to our residents, a significant boost to our local economy has the potential to bring desperately needed revenue to our City.”
Nazarian worked closely with members of Stay in LA and CA United as well as the likes of Cale Thomas, a makeup artist who is co-chair of the L.A political and legislative subcommittee for IATSE Local 706 and producer Greg Zekowski to get the motion to this stage.
The group has proposed alternatives for reducing requirements of public safety personnel required at shoots; offering waived or reduced fees for utilizing public property as shoot locations; creating a pool of film-certified public safety officers available for rates competitive with other cities that are currently taking production away from L.A.; identifying and enforcing the price gouging of crew parking and base camps for film shoots; and recommended streamlining the film permitting review process which includes staffing and resources necessary across all departments involved and revising the stage certification process that allow for more stages to certify and limit additional expenses.
The city has been working with the Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Recreation and Parks, Bureau of Public Works, Economic Workforce and Development Department, Department of Transportation and FilmLA on these proposals.
Thomas, who has worked on a number of major Marvel and Star Wars movies and series including The Guardians of the Galaxy, Ahsoka and The Mandalorian, told Deadline earlier this month, “We’re looking at movies like Boyz N the Hood, Fridays and American History X; these are the types of movies historically shot in L.A. that are now completely off the table because their dollars go a lot further in these other markets for a multitude of reasons. It’s death by a thousand ants. We’re not talking about the Marvels, the Lucasfilms, the Harry Potters, we’re not talking about big tentpole franchise IP. Movies like Star Wars have never been made in L.A. We’re talking about the jobs that pay our rent,” he added.
This is on top of statewide help that has been proposed in the California legislature. Two California lawmakers introduced two bills to bolster proposals already made by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
