Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass pledged the City’s renewed support for L.A.’s entertainment industry by issuing her eighth executive directive to streamline and focus City department processes for local film and television production. Mayor Bass signed the executive directive into effect yesterday before heading to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to continue crucial preparations for Los Angeles to host the 2028 Games. The signing of this Executive Directive comes after Mayor Bass convened her inaugural Entertainment Industry Council to draw upon senior industry leaders’ expertise as she leads new efforts to support L.A’s entertainment industry last month.
“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,” said Mayor Bass. “This executive directive is my pledge that the City is renewing its support for the entertainment industry and is expected to provide the highest level of customer service as we work to make sure that Hollywood stabilizes.”
The executive directive is expected to improve City department processes by designating staff and resources toward supporting local production and film-permitting by requiring City departments to:
- Meet with external industry stakeholders at least quarterly to address production-related challenges and solutions directly with departments.
- Designate a Film Liaison staff member from key departments who will participate in the quarterly meetings and be available to the external industry to provide assistance with City processes.
- Review internal department processes and make recommendations to streamline and facilitate the permitting and review process for filming.
Last month, Mayor Bass joined industry and labor leaders to recognize the groundbreaking of East End Studios’ Mission Campus in the Arts District, a cutting-edge film soundstage and production studio campus that will help expand opportunities for local production. Under Executive Directive 4, Mayor Bass is working to eliminate barriers to business development, growth and creation. The City streamlined the permitting and inspection for 7 new studios and soundstages to open on time and on budget. More than 8 million square feet of soundstage, studios and creative space are in the pipeline. Mayor Bass has championed the entertainment industry’s role in Los Angeles’ economy since her time in the state legislature when she served as Speaker of the Assembly, helping pass the first tax credit legislation to support local production alongside her colleague then-Assemblymember Paul Krekorian.
Read the full Executive Directive here.