Newsom aims to help Hollywood flip the script on industry decline
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- The governor announced a proposal to flip the script on Hollywood’s shrinking production.
- A new study finds California wildfires are spreading and intensifying faster, putting more people in danger
- Shohei Ohtani is expected to play Game 3 of the World Series after Game 2’s shoulder injury scare
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
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Hollywood gets the Newsom treatment
Hollywood loves a good comeback story. Now the beleaguered film and TV industry is looking to write its own with some help from Gov. Gavin Newsom and (potentially) the state Legislature.
The governor announced a new proposal this weekend to more than double the funding for California’s film and TV tax credit program. If approved by the Legislature, the program could expand to $750 million, up from its current total of $330 million. That big boost could take effect as early as July 2025, should the Legislature approve Newsom’s measure.
“[That] would make California the top state for capped film incentive programs, surpassing even New York,” my colleagues Samantha Masunaga and Christi Carras reported over the weekend.
Hollywood production has plummeted in recent years, fueled initially by the pandemic, then made worse by the unsustainable streaming wars and last year’s dual strikes by writers and actors.
All that, plus the constant lure of other states’ higher tax incentives, has stifled the industry’s rebound, drying up job opportunities and sparking an exodus of film and TV workers.
English-language scripted projects being filmed in the L.A. region fell by 19.7% in 2023 compared with 2022, according to a study by FilmLA, which handles film permits and tracks regional production. California’s share of the global production market fell from 22% to 18% in that same time period, their report states.
Industry experts had been calling on state leaders to increase its tax incentives so California can remain competitive with Georgia, New York, Canada and other popular production destinations that currently offer larger tax breaks.
“This is about jobs, this is about investment and this is about realizing that the world we invented is now competing against us,” Newsom said Sunday during a news conference, where he was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, legislative leaders and union officials.
The governor also took a political jab at Georgia, which has no cap on its tax incentive program. He expressed hope that film and TV producers who aren’t aligned with that state’s policies regarding “workers and women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, civil rights [and] voting rights” would return to California if the new incentives were enacted.
Bass thanked Newsom for his proposal, saying elected officials should “do everything we can to strengthen and protect one of the foundational pillars of our economy in Los Angeles.”
New York and Georgia “outshined us very quickly,” Bass said. “But what you’ve done now will help us catch up.”
Although the funding boost is substantial, certain restrictions in the state’s program would remain. The incentives exclude the salaries of actors and other above-the-line costs that represent a big chunk of a project’s budget.
“Georgia and other rivals do not have such restrictions,” Christi and Samantha noted in their coverage. “But such a move is considered politically untenable in California, where the film incentive program has faced opposition from critics who argue that subsidizing entertainment comes at the expense of other worthy causes, such as education and healthcare.”
Today’s top stories
Weather, climate and the environment
- A new study has found that California wildfires are spreading and intensifying faster, putting more people in danger.
- Strong winds, cooler temperatures and possible rain are in the forecast for Greater Los Angeles this week.
- Hot, dry and dusty: When the Santa Ana “devil winds” blow, Southern California takes cover.
- The Sierra Club’s California members are torn over its mission. Can a new leader forge consensus?
World Series coverage
- Shohei Ohtani is expected to play Game 3 of the World Series after Game 2’s shoulder injury scare.
- The Dodgers won Game 2, but will Ohtani’s injury complicate their World Series path?
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto proves there is still strength in the Dodgers’ starting pitching, writes Bill Shaikin.
- “We’ve all been battle-tested.” The Dodgers’ relievers rely on one another to seal wins.
- Mike Scioscia on Fernando Valenzuela: “You could see his leadership in the clubhouse.”
More big stories
- Los Angeles-area voting centers opened on Saturday ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
- USC beat UCLA to claim its first outright conference championship in women’s soccer.
- Measure G divided L.A. County supervisors and scrambled allegiances. Will the rift outlast the election?
- A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Metrolink train between Lancaster and Palmdale.
- Brad Gates, a six-term Orange County sheriff and cowboy at heart, has died at age 85.
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Commentary and opinions
- Jackie Calmes: Here are the top 10 reasons to vote for Kamala Harris for president.
- LZ Granderson: A “Trump economy” robs from the American people to enrich the elite.
- Mark Z. Barabak: This Democrat pulled off one of the country’s biggest upsets. Can she win again in Trump country?
- George Skelton: Steve Garvey had better luck against the Yankees in 1981 than he will in the November election.
- Guest opinion: There’s a new reason your neighbors bought a weapon — gun culture 3.0.
- David Lauter: Kamala Harris’ politics of joy give way to a closing pitch focused on fear.
- Paul Thornton: My grandfather’s teacher, murdered for resisting Nazis, has lessons for Americans today.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 📚 Turn your stroll into a dreamy treasure hunt with these eight walks to L.A.’s magical Little Free Libraries.
- 🎭 Watch a bare-bones version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” performed in an abandoned Frogtown airplane hangar this week, then a Venice warehouse this weekend.
Staying in
- 📺 Tom Papa comes clean about the joy of being an empty nester in his new special “Home Free.”
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for a simpler salted caramel-chocolate tart.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What is one of your favorite scary movies?
Halloween is quickly approaching, and we’d like to know what are your favorite movies for the spooky season.
Feel free to email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times staff photographer Gina Ferazzi and it’s downright cinematic — just like Dodger Freddie Freeman’s instant classic moment in Game 1 of the World Series.
Fans hug and cheer as Freeman reacts after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to beat the New York Yankees 6-3 in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday at Dodger Stadium. Freeman became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam in a World Series game.
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break
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