AB 1696
Madam Speaker and Members: I serve as Chair of the Select Committee on Preserving California’s Entertainment Industry, and I am proud to be a joint author of AB 1696. California’s film and television industry is a cherished part of California’s heritage, and it’s also an invaluable foundation for our economic future. I represent the home of the film and TV industry, and it is by far the most important job creator in my district. If you drive around the 43rd, you can’t miss the industry. You’ll see Warner Bros studio and Disney and DreamWorks and NBC and ABC. But let me tell you about the entertainment industry that you may not see during that drive – the real industry that we’re talking about today. You might not see the carpenter who is in his truck every morning by 5 am to build sets. You might not see the seamstress whose experienced hands have been altering costumes for 30 years. You might not see the catering truck driver who feeds the crews out on location You might not see the electrician, or the teamster, or the camera operator, or the painter, or the production assistant. You might not notice these folks – my constituents -- like you notice the glamorous icons of Hollywood, but THEY are the real entertainment industry. They are the people whose livelihood depends on film and television production in California. They are people who don’t carry a briefcase – they strap on a tool belt. And year by year, month by month, they are steadily losing their jobs. Well over half of the states of our nation, as well as many other countries, are working overtime to lure these good jobs away from California. There is a good reason that so many other governments have invested in attracting production – it produces good middle class jobs, it has a tremendous multiplier effect in stimulating the broader economy, and it is an industry that is largely friendly to the environment. These other governments know that the incentives they are offering are paying enormous dividends and are significant revenue generators. Many other states have seen double digit growth in film production in recent years. The gain that those governments are enjoying, members, is at our expense. As more productions are enticed away to Louisiana or New York or New Mexico, those states are developing physical infrastructure and a local talent pool. If we do not compete more aggressively to keep these jobs here right now, we will very soon pass the tipping point and will lose them forever. Members, the stakes could not be greater. Motion picture production in California sustains employment for a quarter million of our constituents with earnings of over $17 billion. This bill is not a panacea. Over the course of the next year and a half my select committee will explore a broad range of approaches for making California a more attractive place for this vitally important industry. But all of our other efforts, frankly, will be moot unless we can be competitive on production costs. AB 1696 will keep us in the game. Members, I urge you to show this landmark California industry that we’re going to fight to keep it here. Let’s not allow ourselves to wake up one morning and look up at the world-renowned Hollywood sign – and realize that Hollywood is gone. Members, I ask for your aye vote on this important jobs measure.
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