Amid Competition, LA Mayor Targets Permitting To Boost Film Production

HOLLYWOOD, CA — As Los Angeles faces increasing competition from other production centers like Georgia, Mayor Karen Bass this week put into motion an effort to streamline the permitting process for film and TV shoots in an effort to boost production.

Bass' office on Wednesday announced that the mayor's eighth executive directive requires city departments to do the following:

• Meet with entertainment industry leaders on a quarterly basis to discuss and address production-related challenges
• Designate a film liaison in key departments to participate in the meetings and make them available to industry representatives to assist with city processes
• Review department processes and make recommendations to streamline the permitting and review process for production

"The entertainment industry is core to our economy and it is also core to our city's identity and City Hall is going to do everything we can to support it," Bass said in a statement. "This executive directive is my pledge that the city is renewing its support for the entertainment industry and is expected to provide the highest level of customer service as we work to make sure that Hollywood stabilizes."

The industry contributes more than $115 billion annually to the region's economy and produces jobs to more than 681,000 people across various professions, according to recent data from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation provided by the mayor's office.

"However, despite its significant presence in Los Angeles, the city's entertainment industry faces the challenge of production leakage to other markets. Without strategic intervention, the allure of competing locales threatens to divert resources and jobs away from the city," Bass' directive reads.

Following the writers and actors strikes last year, on-location filming declined by 12.4 percent year-over-year from April through June, according to a recent report from FilmLA, which handles permitting for much of the region.

In recent years, production centers including Georgia and New Mexico have lured production away from Los Angeles with tax incentives and growing labor pools and infrastructure.

Bass last month convened her inaugural Entertainment Industry Council to draw upon senior entertainment industry leaders' expertise. Members included representatives from the Motion Picture Association, California Film Commission, Netflix and others.

City News Service contributed to this report.