In an effort to reaffirm the City of Los Angeles as the heart of the entertainment industry, Mayor Karen Bass has signed an executive directive aimed at bolstering support for local film and TV production. The mayor's office announced that Directive No. 8 was signed on August 6, highlighting plans to smooth out city processes for the entertainment sector. The move follows a recent meeting with the inaugural Entertainment Industry Council that Mayor Bass convened to leverage industry leaders' expertise in boosting the local economy through entertainment.
Mayor Bass was quoted in the directive, stating, "The entertainment industry is core to our economy and it is also core to our city’s identity and City Hall is going to do everything we can to support it." The Mayor emphasized the commitment of City Hall to providing top-tier customer service and support for Hollywood's stability before heading to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as noted in an article by the Mayor's Office.
Under this new directive, key city departments are tasked with designating Film Liaison staff members who will attend quarterly meetings with external industry stakeholders to tackle production-related challenges. These liaisons are responsible for internal department processes to streamline and facilitate filming permits and other production needs. According to the same Mayor's Office announcement, this includes a review of current practices and bringing forth recommendations to make the permitting process more efficient.
The initiative comes in addition to existing efforts under Directive 4 by Mayor Bass to eliminate barriers to business development, which facilitated the opening of seven new studios and soundstages in L.A. on time and within budget. The entertainment industry, not one to stand stagnant, has more than 8 million square feet of space for studios and creative endeavors in the pipeline, putting a weight on City Hall to ensure the future remains bright for local productions.
Focused on maintaining L.A.'s reputation as a prime location for entertainment, the directive points out the importance of the industry to L.A.'s economy, contributing over $115 billion annually and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. Mayor Bass has consistently been a proponent for the entertainment industry, tracing her support back to when she was Speaker of the Assembly, working with colleagues to pass tax credit legislation to encourage local production. To read the full Executive Directive, citizens and interested parties can find the details by visiting the Mayor's Office website.
