Los Angeles Moves to Protect Film Industry

The newly approved measures are part of Councilman Adrin Nazarian's "Keep Hollywood Home" initiative, which aims to cut red tape and make Los Angeles more competitive for film and television production. The unanimous vote from the City Council advances seven motions that resulted from numerous meetings with labor organizations and city departments. This legislative package builds on an executive order issued by Mayor Karen Bass in 2025, which was designed to lower costs, streamline the permitting process, and increase access to iconic filming locations like Griffith Observatory and the Central Library. Progress on the Mayor's directive includes reopening the Central Library to major productions and reducing application review times at the Port of Los Angeles. A key component of the new plan is to fast-track the certification of new soundstages and create a free "micro-shoot permit" to simplify the process for smaller productions. The council has also ordered an audit of the city's film permitting process to identify further barriers that can be removed. Local agencies have been given timelines ranging from 45 to 180 days to implement these new directives. The move comes in response to a significant downturn in local production. In 2025, Los Angeles County saw a 16% year-over-year decrease in on-location shoot days, dropping to 19,694, the lowest since 2020. Television shoot days in 2025 were a staggering 50% below the five-year average. Los Angeles faces fierce competition from other locations that offer substantial financial incentives. Georgia provides a tax credit of up to 30% on qualified expenditures with no annual cap. New York offers a refundable tax credit of 30%, and the U.K. provides a cash rebate of up to 25.5% for film and high-end television. In an effort to compete, California recently expanded its own film and television tax credit program, more than doubling the cap to $750 million. Productions relocating to California could be eligible for up to a 40% credit, making the state's incentives more competitive with those of Georgia. The "Keep Hollywood Home" initiative also focuses on regional collaboration, instructing officials to develop agreements with neighboring jurisdictions to improve workforce development and production retention. Additionally, the plan includes creating a "Made in LA" branding initiative and developing a "fan tour" of historic filming locations to promote the city's cinematic heritage. Beyond the current measures, the city is exploring further incentives, including a potential $5 million grant program to support the creation of "micro-dramas"—short-form vertical content for mobile devices. This forward-looking approach aims to position Los Angeles as a hub for emerging forms of media production.