Aug. 9, 2026 7 AM PT
To the editor: Are union actors worth more than a union crew?
The article about the Entertainment Evergreen Fund being developed by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger highlights that “small films shot locally would mean more roles” for SAG-AFTRA actors (“L.A. County weighs a grant fund to keep indie films from leaving,” Aug. 5). Do IATSE crews deserve any less from the city in which we live, vote and pay taxes?
IATSE, the union that represents below-the-line craftspeople, has low-budget contracts available for small-budget films that afford union crew members a living wage, healthcare and pension provisions. For directors and producers who need creative solutions for working on a limited budget, there’s no substitute for an experienced, talented union crew.
IATSE members are losing homes and livelihoods, and need the help of the county supervisors no less than SAG-AFTRA actors and struggling filmmakers. I hope the supervisors ensure that there are requirements in the legislation to support our entertainment unions, which breathe life into the film industry in Los Angeles.
Suzan Lowitz, Hollywood
This writer is a script supervisor.