Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order Tuesday designed to make filming in the city easier and less bureaucratic.
“The Entertainment Industry is core to Los Angeles’ economy and our city’s identity. The City, in partnership with the industry, has taken steps to stabilize and rebuild Los Angeles’ Film and Entertainment Industry, which has long been a cornerstone of our local economy,” the executive order initially states.
Bass then describes the challenges the city faces from competitors:
“However, Los Angeles has faced increased competition from other states and countries. Combined with the overall decline in production, it has become particularly challenging for the local Film and Television sector. I remain committed to increasing production in Los Angeles, and we will continue to build upon our efforts in renewing the City’s support for the Entertainment Industry with the urgency and commitment it requires.”
Several measures will be taken to ensure filming processes within the Los Angeles area are easier for filmmakers.
Concerning the Griffith Observatory, a location where many movies have been filmed, the Department of Recreation and Parks will “provide the necessary steps required to reduce its filming-related fees at the Griffith Observatory to their original rates prior to the 2022 fee increase.” The order further states, “Filming should be allowed during the days and hours the facility is closed to the public and not otherwise in use when the Griffith Observatory is regularly open to the public.”
The mayor will additionally “instruct the department to recommend a reasonable maximum number of days per year that the Griffith Observatory could be used for filming, differentiating between productions that require full closure and those that require only partial closure.”
A similar deregulation process will occur with the city’s Central Public Library and the Port of Los Angeles.
According to the order, Bass will also instruct several of the city’s infrastructure departments to notify her office of any possible obstructions to “highly utilized film locations.”
This order comes after President Donald Trump announced the tariffing of foreign films (including US foreign-made films). The proposed tariff percentage would be a hefty 100%. Though these film tariffs have been announced, they have yet to be levied or issued by the White House.
