Not a Fan of Antonio, But....

It's difficult to know how well a public official is doing his or her job. Our attitudes are largely shaped by the media and political ads. So when I see the Mayor and the City Council being effective when a large majority of the public thinks they are useless dirt bags, I think something is wrong with the assessment process. Recently a document came across my desk that talked about specific actions that our local government is working on to make it easier to film in LA.

Everything from creating power nodes for productions in highly filmed locations; to providing free or low cost parking at city-owned lots; to creating a smoother film permitting process; to reducing the bureaucracy associated with dealing with City departments. In addition, the Council approved a 4 year extension on fee waivers for most City facilities.

But maybe the most exciting piece of information I learned is that FilmLA is putting together a marketing plan for promoting LA as the best place to film. I've asked to be a fly on the wall when they give their marketing presentation. I'll let you know how that goes.

Now a bit of not so good news. You remember Captain America? The super hero who saved us from the Nazi threat? Well, not only is Marvel's new Captain America film not being filmed in California, it is not even being filmed in this country. Huh? The State of California, who wisely created $500 million in tax incentives for films made in California, unwisely limited the opportunity to films with a budget of $75 million or less. I guess I understand why they did that, but it is a sad day when Captain America is being filmed in London because they were able to give them a nice chunk of incentives.

Anyway, cudos to Mayor Antonio, the City Council, and FilmLA. Keep doing what you're doing for film production, just do it faster.

Sharon