Source – THR
Council backs sweeping study of fees, policing, and parking to keep cameras rolling.
Los Angeles’ City Council has taken its first concrete step toward easing the Los Angeles production crisis. The unanimous vote, led by Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, orders every major permitting department—including FilmLA—to develop a reform blueprint within 30 days.
After three years of pandemic shutdowns, double strikes, and shrinking studio budgets, the motion aims to stop the bleeding of jobs and projects to cheaper, faster-moving rivals.
A lede worth the overtime
Tent-pole films once shot across L.A. year-round; by 2013 not a single blockbuster rolled cameras in California. Today, commercials and streaming minis flee, too.
Union leaders say high fees, slow approvals, and “base-camp price-gouging” are tipping the Los Angeles production crisis into freefall. Nazarian’s motion targets each pain point—permits, public-safety costs, crew parking, and stage certification—in hopes of rebuilding Hollywood’s hometown advantage.
What’s in the motion?
- Fee relief: Explore new rate structures, discounts, or waivers for shoots on city property.
- Safety staffing: Reevaluate when sworn officers are required versus lower-cost security.
- Streamlined approvals: Create a single digital portal that marries film permits with stage-inspection sign-offs.
- Parking reforms: Curb inflated rents for crew parking and base camps on public lots.
The directive tells the chief legislative analyst, FilmLA, Public Works, LAPD, and other agencies to report back with actionable ideas. Applause filled City Hall as the measure passed—a rare bright moment in the broader Los Angeles production crisis narrative.
Union voices demand speed
IATSE Local 728 president Martin Weeks warned council members: “Every headwind sends another series or feature to Atlanta or Budapest. Our members can’t afford another delay.” Director and DGA veteran Greg Zekowski was blunter: “If the Los Angeles production crisis goes unchecked, we lose a generation of middle-class craft jobs.” Councilmember Traci Park, representing a district where one in five constituents work in entertainment, called the vote “incredibly urgent.”
How Sacramento and City Hall will mesh
Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed lifting the state’s tax-credit cap from $330 million to $750 million, while lawmakers push bills to boost subsidies as high as 35 percent. Nazarian argues those incentives won’t matter if local red tape keeps productions away: “Sacramento must act, but the Los Angeles production crisis starts on our streets. We need to make permits painless and predictable.”
Mayor Karen Bass already convened a quarterly industry task force last year. Insider sources say Bass will fold Nazarian’s findings into a summer “Hollywood revival” action plan—timed to pilot-season budgeting.
What producers hope to see
| Current Pain | Potential Fix | Impact on the Los Angeles production crisis |
|---|---|---|
| $850 per day for a basic street permit | Sliding scale based on crew size | Saves indies 5–10 % of daily spend |
| 30-day LAPD sign-off backlog | Cross-train FilmLA for first-level review | Shaves a week off prep schedules |
| $3,500 nightly lot rental for base camp | City-run rate card & cap | Keeps below-the-line costs competitive |
Producers we spoke to say even modest relief could swing borderline projects back to L.A. “A 12-episode streamer drama saves six figures if parking alone is fixed,” notes one line producer currently scouting New Mexico.
Next deadlines in a tight calendar
- May 30: Departments deliver cost-reduction options.
- June 15: Council’s Budget & Finance panel vets proposals.
- July 1: Final recommendations roll into 2025 fiscal-year planning—crucial for reversing the Los Angeles production crisis before another pilot cycle.
Nazarian insists the timeline will hold: “Our crews can’t wait another quarter. Every day the Los Angeles production crisis drags on is another day Vancouver grabs the next series order.”
The takeaway
Fixing Hollywood’s hometown headaches won’t be easy, but City Hall finally signaled it understands the stakes. If the promised reforms materialize on schedule, studios scouting locations this fall may give Los Angeles a second look—critical momentum for ending the Los Angeles production crisis before it becomes permanent.
