June 06, 2007 @ 9:07 PM
By Steven Maviglio

In a strong show of support for the Golden State’s film and television production industry, the California Assembly is expected to pass legislation to create a California Film Commission grant program that will provide financial incentives to halt runaway production and promote the filming of motion pictures and commercials in California. This issue has been debated in Sacramento for years, with Republicans objecting to tax credits for Hollywood. And while this bill still isn't funded, it's still a major policy step forward.

Authored by Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles), Arts and Entertainment Committee Chair Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank), Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena), and Assemblymember Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita), Assembly Bill 1696 requires the Film Commission to adopt regulations for grants no later than March 1, 2008. The program would be funded through the state budget on an annual basis.

“We will not sit idly by and watch this homegrown industry disappear because other states are being more aggressive,” said Majority Leader Bass. “California finally will be stepping up to the plate to protect the jobs of the thousands of talented workers this valuable industry employs here in the Golden State.”

“This is not just about retaining the industry,” she said. “This is about retaining the carpenters, camera grips, and others who are struggling to stay in California and make ends meet.”

Bass cites statistics from the Los Angeles Economic Development Council that showed that millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs are created in the production of every film production. She also noted that rural Kern County received an economic boost of an estimated $12.6 million in 2006, when feature films, including “Iron Man” and “Oceans 13” were filmed there in 2006. Santa Barbara County’s economy received more than $16.7 million in 2006 from the filming such as “Nancy Drew,” “Blades of Glory,” “Snakes on a Train,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

“No state in our nation has the many diverse locations, landscapes and opportunities to film than California,” said Assemblymember Portantino. “We’ve got the farms of the San Joaquin Valley to the O C. We even have every day main streets that have represented small town America from many other states. I’ve also seen first hand locations and sets that have doubled for Korea, Paraguay and the town of Bedrock – we truly have it all and County after County has enjoyed these economic benefits for nearly 100 years.
“From the food actors and crews eat, to the hotels and support businesses that help a production’s needs,” he continued. “the survival of filmed entertainment in California is central to our chances of having a healthy economy.”

Assemblymember Karnette noted that arts education also would benefit from the bill. “AB 1696 is not just about movie studios; it's about writers, sound engineers, musicians and make-up artists,” she said. “It's about the physics of set design and the chemistry of color. It's about the computer skills needed to make Spiderman stick to walls. One of the main reasons that we want to improve arts and entertainment education is the same reason why we want to pass this bill: economic growth for California.”