EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood workers have committed to a show of force ahead of key hearings this week for the California legislation aimed at expanding and amending the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program.
Deadline understands that more than 100,000 letters have been sent to Sacramento in support of SB630 and AB1138, which would not only allocate $750M annually in tax incentives for production in the state but also redefine and broaden eligibility for the program.
“The letters are really the indication of the depth and commitment to moving this forward, to letting our elected officials know how important this is to our state and to the working people in this industry,” Rebecca Rhine, Entertainment Union Coalition President and Directors Guild of America Western Executive Director, told Deadline. “We’re at a tipping point here…This funding and this legislation to make the program more competitive is so critical to working families in California.”
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The initiative was led by the Entertainment Union Coalition as part of its Keep California Rolling campaign, which has been lobbying for the passage of SB630 and AB1138. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the sister bills will go before their respective committees for a vote that could send them to the larger legislature for approval.
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The letters urge key members of the Senate’s Revenue & Taxation Committee as well as the Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee to vote the bills out of committee this week in order to put workers one step closer to being able to “continue to contribute and work where I live.”
“I don’t want to change careers, and I don’t want to leave the state,” the sample text for the letter, which is embedded in full below, reads. “What I want is the opportunity to work where I live and to continue to be a part of the most vibrant creative community in the world. This iconic industry that has made California home for 100 years. It has been good for my family and good for our state. When our Industry thrives, California thrives.”
The letter also attempts to illustrate the hardship that many production workers have endured over the last several years, made even worse by the exodus of production to other territories. As their financial incentives have expanded, California’s has remained stagnant.
“I feel like we have done everything we can to make elected leaders understand what this bill does, which is retain jobs for Californians, and why it’s so important what our industry brings to the state,” Rhine added.
This is a positive sign for the active legislation, which California lawmakers began weighing last month. Governor Gavin Newsom first announced his proposed plans to up the program’s funding from $330M annually to $750M annually in October and, if passed, it will be second in the country only to Georgia, which does not have a cap on its production incentives.
Some state lawmakers hope the program’s revamp will breathe some much-needed life into California’s once-bustling film and TV industry, while others expressed some skepticism over whether more than doubling the incentive cap is the most productive use of those funds within the state budget.
However, sources tell Deadline that this is an incredibly high priority for Newsom and, while passing these bills may ultimately require some wrangling given the current political realities in the United States, he is very determined that this will happen.
The Assembly Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism Committee will vote on AB1138 during a hearing Tuesday at 9 a.m. The Senate Revenue & Taxation Committee are scheduled for a vote on SB630 Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
The full letter is below.
Dear Chairs Ward, McNerney, Gipson, and Committee Members,
My name is**NAME**and I am one of the 165,000 union members of the Entertainment Union Coalition who works in California’s motion picture and television industry. I am not just a statistic; I am a Californian who needs your support.
I have worked in this industry for**NUMBER**years. I pay taxes, support local businesses, raise my family, engage in my community, and have always been proud of my work and my contribution to making this great State. That’s why I am a supporter of the modernization of the California Film and Television Jobs Program in AB 1138 and SB 630. I want to continue to contribute and work where I live.
Over the past several years, we have hit very hard times. Jobs are scarce for those of us who have spent decades building our careers and for those of us who are just trying to “ break in.” Industry vendors, large and small, are shutting down across California and once that infrastructure is gone it can’t be rebuilt. Those lucky enough to find work in some instances must leave home for months at a time to support themselves and their families. All because production work is leaving California, lured away by other states and countries that understand how valuable our industry is to their economies.
Our industry has drastically changed over the 11 years since the original California Film and Television Jobs Act was passed. But both the funding and the program structure have not changed enough to remain competitive.
But we have the opportunity to do that right now.
I don’t want to change careers, and I don’t want to leave the state. What I want is the opportunity to work where I live and to continue to be a part of the most vibrant creative community in the world. This iconic industry that has made California home for 100 years. It has been good for my family and good for our state. When our Industry thrives, California thrives.
Please vote Yes for AB 1138 and SB 630.
We need your support.
Sincerely,
**NAME**
Dominic Patten contributed to this report.
