Mayor Karen Bass and CD11 City Councilor Traci Park are working with L.A. County Supervisor to loosen obstacles that sent the series to Redondo Beach this week
Late last month, Venetians and city officials celebrated a win for the waning Hollywood entertainment industry as a reboot of the hit television series Baywatch began filming at the historic Venice Lifeguard Station with plans to bring a reboot of the beach drama to Fox.
But after only two days of shooting, Los Angeles County officials told the production crews that they were “not welcome back” to shoot on Venice Beach, according to a post from an industry insider on Instagram. The anonymous Baywatch insider’s missive references the “costly barriers” that led actors to move their production to Redondo Beach this week.
When actors slipped on the iconic red bathing suit made famous by Pamela Anderson to run across the sand for an adrenaline-fueled rescue on the shore, the scenes were shot in Redondo Beach instead of Venice, leading the post to end with: “Los Angeles is not film friendly.”
A large production like Baywatch filming in L.A., where the entertainment industry has cratered by a staggering 30% since 2022 had given hope to actors, crew members, and creatives who are struggling to find work as Hollywood continues to hemorrhage jobs to cheaper overseas locales.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal published a story on the dire outlook for the Hollywood industry and the trickle-down effect the job losses are having on Los Angeles, with the latest census showing a mass exodus. California leads the nation for states people are leaving, according to the latest numbers.
In late March, actor Noah Wyle from HBO’s The Pitt testified at a hearing held by Senator Adam Schiff in Burbank, telling lawmakers that 42,000 motion picture and television jobs have left Los Angeles between 2022 and 2024, and the free fall is continuing into 2026. “As an Angeleno with generational roots to this city and as a seasoned member of its creative community, advocacy for Los Angeles-based production is something that is very close to my heart,” Wyle said.
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Wyle noted that tax incentives – like the $21 million credit awarded to Baywatch – are the key to keeping Hollywood in Hollywood. “It is vital to the strength of the industry and city to support these incentives. It’s an investment in the city’s most precious commodity and asset. It’s an investment in its people.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom heard the rally cry. That same week, he announced a significant expansion of the California Film & Television Tax Credit Program to include incentives for animation and competitive series shot in the state.
Still, the Baywatch upheaval, City Hall sources say, has created tensions between Mayor Karen Bass, who worked alongside CD11 City Councilor Traci Park to bring the show to Venice Beach, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose sprawling district includes Venice. The county runs beaches and harbors, and its officials are being blamed for putting the arduous restrictions on the Baywatch crews, which include prohibitions on night shoots and impossible zoning issues on the beach. Horvath’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Bass, who has made saving Hollywood jobs a priority by creating an Entertainment Industry Cabinet, said that her office has offered “concierge service” to Baywatch. Now Bass said she is working with CD11 City Councilor Traci Park to “keep this iconic LA show filming on our world famous beaches.”
“Our Office has championed bringing Baywatch back to LA, providing concierge-level service for this production,” a spokesperson for Bass told Los Angeles in a statement. “Matters related to Beaches and Harbors fall under County jurisdiction, and the City remains in active communication with County officials.”
Bass said the show is expected to return to Venice at the end of the month. But, the show centered in Venice is planning to shoot much of the show in other locations like Redondo Beach and Santa Monica, which is disappointing to Venice Beach businesses who were hoping the show would draw tourists to its famous boardwalk, hoping to get a peek at the action. “Production brings lookyloos. They spend money,” jewelry artist Cherree Boardman, 28, said.
A FilmLA spokesperson told Los Angeles that “Baywatch is a production-in-progress and subject to change, what I can say is that Baywatch remains in LA and supporting them remains a daily focus.”
But this week, the iconic Venice Lifeguard Operations Station – which was slated to be the hub of the show after undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation paid for by the production – was quiet.
The original Baywatch was a wild sensation that was on the air for 11 seasons from 1989 to 2001. The show followed the lives of a group of lifeguards who patrol the beaches in Los Angeles and starred David Hasselhoff in the lead role of Mitch Buchannon alongside Anderson, who played C.J. Parker. It quickly became one of the most-watched TV shows in the world, and led to a spin-off Baywatch, Hawaii that introduced viewers to future movie star Jason Momoa.