More than 6,500 people have signed a petition urging new production incentives in the wake of the Eaton, Hughes and Palisades fires that have devastated Los Angles since Jan. 7.
The #StayInLA petition applauds Governor Newsom’s proposal to increase California’s film/TV tax incentive to $750 million annually, but says more is needed. Specifically, the petition proposes uncapping the tax incentive for productions that shoot in L.A. County for the next three years as part of the overall disaster relief effort. In addition, the petition calls on studios and streamers to pledge at least 10% more production in L.A. over the next three years.
The petition is a collaboration between CA United, a grassroots coalition of over 5,000 engaged California residents; and The Union Solidarity Coalition, founded by writer and directors to respond to the effects of the 2023 WGA strike. Individual supporters named on the website include LeVar Burton, Scott Derrickson, Jason Alexander, Joe Mantegna and Melissa Benoist.
“We were already deeply worried about the livelihoods of Los Angeles area cast and crew, not to mention the countless small businesses suffering from production moving out of state and overseas. The fires have made a desperate situation worse,” the petition reads. “We are terrified that the city we love so much may lose its most vital resource: its people. We need a flood of new work to help our beloved city rebuild itself and ensure LA’s future viability as a place where craftspeople, film workers, and businesses thrive.”
Emphasizing that L.A. production helps a broad range of businesses, including restaurants and retail, the petition also cites figures from the California Production Coalition, stating “the average location shoot adds $670,000 and 1,500 jobs a day. Each dollar spent on incentivizing production to stay in California creates $24.40 in new economic activity across all local businesses, $8.60 in wages and labor income, and $16.14 in increased GDP.”
