Letters to the Editor: Film production is fleeing L.A. So why is FilmLA raising permit fees?

To the editor: Thank you for your powerful account of the exodus of Hollywood’s film and TV workers from Los Angeles for lack of work.

There are many driving forces behind this devastating crisis. They affect all production centers, but especially California’s with its noncompetitive tax incentives and, in Los Angeles, a permitting system for location filming notorious for its expense and red tape compared to other jurisdictions.

In charge of these permits is a semi-autonomous nonprofit called FilmLA. It’s latest decision in response to the hemorrhaging of film production in Los Angeles boggles the mind.

As filmmakers flee, and the industry faces its worst economic downturn in half a century, FilmLA has decided, incomprehensibly, to raise its permit fees effective July 1.

It is often said that the greatest obstacle to filming in the state of California is the state of California. If we ever needed proof of it, we certainly have it in FilmLA’s latest loose-cannon salvo.

David Impastato, Los Angeles

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To the editor: As the film industry retrenches in the aftermath of the pandemic and both the writers and actors strikes, the grim reality is that many creatives are becoming casualties. It’s very similar to when the auto industry shuts down it plants, leaving autoworkers nowhere to turn.

I applaud the three individuals profiled in your article for using their wits and new skills to combat their reversal of fortune. No one knows when and if production will ramp up to previous levels.

Why wallow in denial when there are new revenue streams to be discovered and alternative ways to maintain quality of life?

Judy Seckler, Studio City