As Los Angeles and the state of California continue to struggle through the recovery from the recession, Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel and IATSE Local 80 President Thom Davis have urged Gov. Brown to support Assembly Bill 2026 and Senate Bill 1197.
They would extend the California Film Commission’s requirement to allocate tax credits through the 2016-17 fiscal year. A recent study concluded that during the first two years of the film tax credit program, the credit generated more than $3.8 billion in economic output, supports over 20,000 jobs in California, and will return $200 million to state and local governments.
“The production industry is an integral part of our local and state economy,” said Ms. Greuel, a candidate for mayor. “I applaud Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes for his leadership in authoring and shepherding AB2026 through the legislature. By extending these credits, productions can be planned further in advance, knowing that credits will be available for the entire run of a production.”
As active supporters of a robust entertainment industry in California, Ms. Greuel and Mr. Davis say they will continue to advocate for tools that the state can use to keep filming here in California. Implementation of the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program in the 2009 budget plan has led to a revival in film production investment in California.
Film L.A., the permitting agency for Los Angeles, reports that in 2010, feature film production posted a 28.1 percent fourth quarter gain and a year-over-year gain of 8.1 percent.
“The state of California needs as much assistance as possible to grow the economy and create jobs,” said Mr. Davis. “We need to use proven programs that have demonstrated value in keeping production here in California.”
A member of the California Film Commission for over a decade, Ms. Greuel has worked on a wide range of entertainment industry issues over the years, and has helped secure $100 million of filming incentives annually beginning fiscal year 2009-10. She also has worked to reform Los Angeles’s business policy, to modernize the city’s archaic tax system and to keep the film industry based in the City of Los Angeles.
IATSE is the largest union representing workers in the entertainment industry. Their members work in various forms of theater, motion picture and television production, trade shows and exhibitions, television broadcasting and concerts, as well as the equipment and construction shops that support these areas of the industry. They represent virtually all the behind-the-scenes workers in crafts ranging from motion picture animator to theater usher. IATSE has a membership of 113,000 workers.
