Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1529095
THE ARTISAN WINTER 2025 • 5 Dearest Local 706 community, sisters, brothers and kin, By the time you read this edition of The Artisan, there will be a new president-elect of the United States of America in the White House; another three-year term of Local 706 leadership will have been announced; and starting in November, our clocks, once again, will have been turned back one hour, and what Southern Californians call winter (and what East-Coasters call fall) will be underway. Along with a new year, 2025, we will welcome in the "Year of the Snake." It is said that the year will bring a rebirth to all, especially our Local. It is said that we will embody strategic thinking, reflection, and a deeper connection to our inner selves and to those around us. "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." -Frederick Douglass But must we really struggle in order to make any progress? It certainly feels that way, doesn't it? But just how much do we need to struggle? I think all the members of all the Hollywood Locals have struggled enough … and so does California Gov. Gavin Newsom. On Sunday, October 27, in Hollywood, Calif., Gov. Newsom held a press conference to announce his proposal to expand California's Film & Television Tax Credit Program to $750 million annually, a massive increase from the current $330 million annual tax credit allocation. This ambitious expansion would position California as the top state for capped film incentive programs, surpassing other states like New York. To be competitive with other state's tax incentives for film and television, Gov. Newsom made note that if California were to only raise the tax incentive from $330 million to $400 million, that would just be a panacea. They needed to make the increase in the California tax incentives substantial. And substantial it is … $750 million annually, starting in 2025, after it passes legislation. In the meantime, all the members of all the Locals in the Greater Los Angeles need to step up and start a campaign of letter writing, videotaping their struggles and story of no work in the area due to production traveling out of our state to get a better tax break than they can get in California. Runaway Production … does that sound familiar? What can we do? Yikes!! What's the real game plan? The CIC (California IATSE Council) has already started to develop a major plan to get members involved and start being proactive toward letting all of Sacramento know that "we are serious, and that we mean business" when it comes to bringing film production back home to California … back home to Hollywood. We talk about having good relationships with others and developing a rapport with them. Fortunately, we have that type of relationship with one of our favorite prolabor people who just happens to be U.S. Representative Adam Schiff. On October 31, 2024, Schiff penned a letter to Commissioner McEntarfer of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Director Arora of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), illuminating what Schiff's constituents in Hollywood and across California have experienced firsthand from the impact of the decline in employment over years (decades) in film and television production as it has migrated abroad and has threatened and is still threatening the job growth here at home. More and more foreign countries provide meaningful production incentives, as well as other states from east to west. Film and television production are a proven catalyst for economic development, regional tourism, and job creation and has reached unprecedented levels globally. Furthermore, regional production brings high-value inward investments for local businesses and industries as productions hire large local crew bases and utilize hundreds of local vendors with each project that comes into the region. These jobs spanning from vocational union jobs to highly creative technology-forward jobs are vital for the economic growth of said region. LOCAL PERSPECTIVE by Karen J. Westerfield Business Representative, I.A.T.S.E. Local 706 Continued on page 6 Managing Editor Adam Brandy Contributing Writers Sue Cabral-Ebert Donna Cicatelli Jason Collins Lawrence Davis Deborah La Mia Denaver Naomi Donne Claire Alexandra Doyle Carla Farmer Linda Flowers Jani Kleinbard Patrice K. Madrigal Donald Mowat Tena Parker Mazena Puksto Sian Richards Chloe Sens Derrick Spruill Julie Socash Ally Vickers Keren Westerfield Scott Wheeler Publisher IngleDodd Media Office Manager Kathy Sain Mailing List Manager Kathy Sain The Artisan is published quarterly by Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists, I.A.T.S.E. Local 706, 828 No. Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 Phone (818) 295-3933 Fax (818) 295-3930 All editorial and photo submissions should be sent to email address: hllywdmkupartist@yahoo.com To update member information, email to: dispatch@ialocal706.org Advertising: IngleDodd Media (310) 207-4410 muahs@IngleDodd.com www.IngleDoddMedia.com Officers of I.A.T.S.E. Local 706 President Julie Socash Vice President Elena Arroy Recording Secretary Daniel Curet Secretary-Treasurer Terrie Velazquez Sergeant-at-Arms Sherrita Cole Business Representative Karen J. Westerfield Official Magazine of Hollywood Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists. Published in the Interest of ALL the Members of Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists I.A.T.S.E. Local 706