{"id":802642,"date":"2026-05-17T10:27:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/802642\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T10:27:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T10:27:21","slug":"how-hollywoods-production-crisis-became-a-key-issue-in-the-l-a-mayors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/802642\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hollywood’s production crisis became a key issue in the L.A. mayor’s race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman<\/a>, who serves the 4th District, makes her way across an empty, unnamed backlot, presenting her case to be the city\u2019s next mayor.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudio lots like this one used to be filled with people, costumers, electricians, set medics, caterers, thousands of Angelenos making a living,\u201d she says in the video posted on social media<\/a>. \u201cNow these lots are quiet. Since 2018, shooting days in the city have fallen by half.\u201d<\/p>\n

After telling voters this issue is \u201cpersonal\u201d (her husband is a TV writer and producer), criticizing Mayor Karen Bass\u2019 leadership on the matter and outlining her own plans, Raman proclaims, \u201cI\u2019m running for mayor to make sure Los Angeles stays the film and TV capital of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Placing the concerns of the entertainment industry at the center of the city\u2019s mayoral race would have been unthinkable even in the last election cycle. But the production crisis, <\/b><\/a>which has rocked Hollywood and pummeled its workforce, has reached a critical juncture. The state of L.A.\u2019s signature industry is now a political flashpoint alongside affordability, crime and homelessness in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A person films an interaction between mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and another person on his cellphone during a \u201cCommunity Meet and Greet\u201d event out of a house for sale on Long Ridge Avenue in a residential neighborhood of Sherman Oaks on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Etienne Laurent\/For The Times)<\/p>\n

In campaign ads, interviews and the recent televised debate<\/a>, the top three contenders: incumbent Mayor Bass, former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt and Raman, have made the ongoing production slump a pivotal topic, highlighting their plans to revitalize the industry while deploying the issue to undercut one another.<\/p>\n

For decades, elected officials have not had to focus on the film and TV business, let alone turn it into a campaign issue. It was simply a given that local production would continue to play a dominant role in the city\u2019s economy as it has for more than a century. <\/p>\n

But the cumulative effects<\/a> of consolidation, runaway production<\/a> to tax-friendly states and countries and the end of the streaming boom has caused Los Angeles to lose billions in economic activity, shed some 57,000 jobs<\/a> over the last four years and led to the closing of more than 80 film and television production service businesses across the city since 2022. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, \u2018save Hollywood\u2019 is more than a slogan and more than headline. It is what needs to be done,\u201d said Pamala Buzick Kim, one of the co-founders of Stay in LA, <\/a>a grassroots campaign aimed at increasing film and television production in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

To be sure, the biggest driver of where studios and producers film are state and federal tax credits, over which the city has no control.<\/p>\n

But Buzick Kim and others argue that \u201cthere is lots the mayor can do, hand-in-hand with the City Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mayor <\/p>\n

Mayor Karen Bass, center, walks with Avance Democratic Club President Nilza Serrano, to the right of Bass, during Avance\u2019s politics and tacos event at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in Los Angeles on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Christina House\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

For starters, say filmmakers and advocates, much can be done to tackle the city\u2019s sclerotic bureaucracy, onerous regulations and a slow and costly permitting process that has pushed filmmakers to flee to friendlier and cheaper locales. <\/p>\n

While steps have been put in place recently, including a pilot program<\/a> offering reduced-cost filming permits for shoots that demonstrate a \u201clow impact\u201d to the surrounding community, many complain such steps have come too little and too late.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Scott Niner, president and owner of Dangling Carrot Creative, checks on woodwork being produced at his shop in North Hollywood.<\/p>\n

(Jason Armond\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe industry is in collapse and people have been talking about fixing things for years, but all we get are incremental little changes,\u201d said Ed Lippman, a location manager of 34 years who lives in Sherman Oaks and has worked on such shows as \u201cER\u201d and \u201cThe X-Files\u201d and movies including \u201cGalaxy Quest.\u201d \u201cAnd if the city is not being business-friendly, the business will go elsewhere.\u201d <\/p>\n

Compounding the problem, the Los Angeles area has more than 100 jurisdictions, many of which have their own set of rules and regulations regarding filming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere needs to be universal standards,\u201d said Travis Beck, a location manager for commercials, small films and music videos. \u201cBurbank is different from Glendale, which is different from Pasadena.\u201d<\/p>\n

The recent kerfuffle over filming \u201cBaywatch,\u201d the lifeguard reboot at Venice Beach, underscored both the efforts to bring production back to L.A. \u2014 enticed by a $21-million tax credit \u2014 and the complex, baffling red tape required to film here.<\/p>\n

When shooting began in March, the production encountered a number of hiccups, including that it needed nearly double the parking space it had received a permit for, which was not part of the original approvals.<\/p>\n

An anonymous crew member claimed on Facebook that government restrictions had forced production to relocate from Venice Beach. Production staff denied they had relocated. However, the incident prompted a backlash, becoming a rallying cry over L.A.\u2019s burdensome filming bureaucracy.<\/p>\n

The \u201cBaywatch\u201d team quickly met with city and county officials and resolved the issue, securing an agreement for a 20% parking discount from the city, and the mayoral candidates used it as an opportunity to score political points.<\/p>\n

Pratt slammed the city\u2019s permitting problems. <\/p>\n

\u201cLA turned its back on Hollywood \u2014 now the golden goose needs CPR,\u201d he wrote on his Substack<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bass highlighted her administration\u2019s leadership <\/a>on the matter. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of Los Angeles will always clear bureaucratic barriers, making it easier and more affordable to film in the entertainment capital of the world,\u201d she wrote on X last month.<\/p>\n

On April 21, the mayor unveiled programs to offer productions 20% discounts on city-owned parking lots <\/a>and other equipment, reduced filming fees at places like the Griffith Observatory and reopened the Central Library for filming. Last August, she appointed Steve Kang, president of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, as the city\u2019s film liaison.<\/p>\n

Raman has pledged her support for expanding the state\u2019s $750-million tax incentive program, streamlining permitting and lowering fees and eliminating those for small productions. She has also said she will establish a dedicated city film office with a liaison who understands production.<\/p>\n

\"Nithya <\/p>\n

Councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman speaks to a crowd at the \u201cFamilies for Nithya\u201d event at Vineyard Recreation Center in Los Angeles on Saturday.<\/p>\n

(Myung J. Chun\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

\u201cLos Angeles is losing Hollywood,\u201d Raman said in a statement. \u201cNot because productions want to leave, but because we\u2019ve made it too hard for them to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

On his Substack and various podcast interviews, Pratt has promised to slash location fees in half, speed up permit approvals, reduce on-set city staff for the majority of productions and waive all fees for shoots with budgets under $2 million.<\/p>\n

All three candidates have attacked one another over their approach to Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Pratt and Raman have said Bass moved too slowly to address spiraling production and retain film jobs, saying she enacted measures only recently as the mayoral race was heating up.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the Monks & Merrill podcast<\/a>, Pratt criticized Bass\u2019 moves to cut costs to film at the Griffith Observatory, saying, \u201cWho needs that shot right now with the homeless poop all around it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The incumbent mayor has defended her administration\u2019s record with the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

Bass and Pratt have taken Raman to task, calling her out for what they say is her lack of advocacy during her time on the City Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe feels very strongly about it. But never offered one motion on the industry, and when motions came up on the industry she either recused herself, or got up and walked out,\u201d said Bass during a debate<\/a> this month.<\/p>\n

Citing a potential conflict of interest over her husband\u2019s work in television, Raman refrained from voting on several motions related to Hollywood.<\/p>\n

Many working in the industry would like to see full-throttled support coming from the mayor\u2019s office that will get results. They note how New York City has successfully promoted itself as a leading film destination over the years. (Kang, the city\u2019s chief film liaison, said the city is working on a similar marketing campaign to promote filming that will launch by early fall.)<\/p>\n

\u201cFor all the talk about, \u2018We need to support and bring back filming,\u2019 if they just did basics like lowering the fees and simplifying the process … that would actually help people and get things produced,\u201d said Chris Fuentes, 66, who worked for 30 years as a location manager until he retired last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot of great things, but not all things are possible in the mayor\u2019s remit,\u201d said Buzick Kim, noting that tax incentives are a state and federal issue. <\/p>\n

Still, she said, \u201cthe mayor must understand that Hollywood needs to be made a priority and to find and create inspired thinking to make things easier and cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kang agrees, but says there are limits to what the mayor can achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely can do a lot to really open up the entertainment industry, but at the same time, we recognize the larger impact needs to come from Sacramento and Washington, D.C., because L.A. just does not have the resources to compete with other jurisdictions in providing millions of dollars in tax incentives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For most working in the industry, they just want city leadership that will execute on more than just talking points.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the birthplace of cinema,\u201d Beck said. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be so hard to film here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who serves the 4th District, makes her way across an empty, unnamed…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":802643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[6297,1582,276,2451,16507,1020,14107,224580,2961,3457,224,2444,5337,49208,18904,249145,290,326781,17823,1628],"class_list":{"0":"post-802642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-bass","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-city","12":"tag-entertainment-industry","13":"tag-film","14":"tag-hollywood","15":"tag-l-a-mayor","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-leadership","18":"tag-los-angeles","19":"tag-los-angeles-times","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-pratt","22":"tag-production","23":"tag-raman","24":"tag-state","25":"tag-studio-lot","26":"tag-thing","27":"tag-year"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116589445229630364","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}