Film employees to gather to support the tax stimulus of California

About 1500 film and TV employees will gather this weekend in Los Angeles to support the restoration of the lost production tracks, because the industry continues to struggle with a delay in the content.

Union and managers insist on legislation to double the production tax of the California Production Tax and to open the program for a wider range of projects, including SitComs and animation. Gavin Newsom government originally proposed to collect the incentive from $ 330 million to $ 750 million in October, but the bill still has to pass a legislative power that is confronted with competitive priorities.

“We want to keep the pressure on all our politicians to ensure that they see this until the end,” said Wes Bailey, CEO of Sirreel Studio Services, who organizes the rally on Sunday afternoon in Sun Valley.

California is not only in seeing an important decrease in production paths. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, none of the three largest production centers of the Nation – California, New York and Georgia – has completely recovered from the decline that started before the 2023 strikes.

The recession is very hard in California, which remains the largest production hub in the country.

“We knew in 2022 that there would be a huge shift in our industry. What the studios did – the entire streaming wars – could not have been maintained,” said Pam Elyea, vice -president of History for Hire, a plug rental company located in North Hollywood. “What we didn’t see was how long the bad time would be.”

Elyea is a member of the California Production Coalition, a group of studio facilities and associated companies that collaborate with the Motion Picture Association, the lobby -arm of the seven large studios.

The coalition is just one of the many, including California United, keep California rolling and staying in LA – who encourage legislators to start the industry. The stay in LA campaign was after the devastating fires in January and called to eliminate the cap on the film stimulus for three years to help the recovery.

“We really have to figure out what is happening here in LA,” said Marie Dunaway, a producer -based producer, who noted that the company was also battered by the pandemic and the strikes. “It is really a moment when we must get the public and the leadership of the government and the business community in accordance with the need for maintaining this community in LA”

Last week Senator Ben All and other legislators revealed revisions to SB 630, the bill to increase the State Incentive Program. The laws are planning to increase the tax incentive from 20% to 35% for LA-based productions, with an additional 5% or 40% total-to productions outside LA or in economically depressive parts of LA

The bill is still moving, while the MPA and Union leaders continue to negotiate some of the beautiful points. The MPA suggested eliminating the requirement that 75% of a production in California would be filmed to be eligible. The trade unions then pushed back, with the argument that the incentive must be used to keep as many jobs as possible in California, and not to subsidize projects that were mainly filmed in other states or overseas.

The California Production Coalition is also urging to add commercials, post -production and music score to the stimulans.

“I think we’ll get close to a deal,” all said Friday.

He said that he was ‘optimistic’ that the expansion will be approved by the legislative power, but that it is not guaranteed.

“Worldwide circumstances are very unpredictable to say the least,” said Allen, D-Santa Monica. “We have to do our work to ensure that colleagues from the whole state see the merit and the benefit.”

Legislative committees have kept two hearings about the bill and often heard emotional testimonies from film employees who had lost their health insurance policy or are forced to raid their pension funds.

“There has been no work,” said Cecilia Hyoun, a film editor whose last job was in 2023. “My house is tolerant. I had emergency savings for two years. They are gone.”

Although legislators have paid tribute to the characteristic industry of the state, some have also expressed their concern about the limitations of the budget and noted that the MPA also supports film stimuli in Georgia and New York.

“How does the administration ensure that we are not played?” Senator Christopher Cabaldon asked D-West Sacramento.

Assembler Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said in an interview that the budget situation has become more precarious since last fall, in the light of the fires and the actions of the Trump government.

“The federal government takes care of us for another recession,” he said. “We are literally talking about:” How don’t we cut medical people for poor people? ” And “How do we ensure that school lunches are paid?” We are in that serious crisis.

Rebecca Rhine, the president of the Coalition Entertainment Union, argued that the stimulans helps tourism to stimulate the communities by delivering well -paid jobs.

“We don’t see this as a kind of gift,” said Rhine, who is also the Western executive director of the Directors Guild of America. “We think the state gets something very valuable for this. We believe that most legislators will land with us.”

New York is busy picking up his film stimulus from $ 700 million to $ 800 million a year, because the second largest productionocale in the country confronts its own decline. The stimulus of Georgia is not covered, but the production has also fallen there.

Even some supporters of the expansion in California say that more will be needed to restore the robust work levels.

“I don’t think this will be the solution that is the end of everything for the industry,” said Pamala Buzick Kim, co-founder of Stay in LA “, but it makes us at least part of the conversation and more competitive.”

While the trade unions and the studios continue to negotiate, there seems to be no higher than $ 750 million – much less eliminating the limit.

“We live in a world with parameters, and we work within those parameters,” said Rhine. “If there was more money, we would take more money. But we would not let the perfect enemy be good.”