Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530210
10 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Winter 2025 NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR PROPOSES EXPANDED FILM & TV TAX INCENTIVES HOLLYWOOD BOOM OPERATORS You take a beautiful Saturday in November and populate the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas with some Hollywood old Boom Operators and some young ones. Sprinkle in a few iconic Production Sound Mixers, and you have a most enjoyable gathering! On October 27, California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference in which he proposed expanding California's Film & Television Tax Credit Program to $750 million a year in an effort to bring work back to the state. The current tax incentive program sits at $330 million. This effort is supported by the IATSE, the California IATSE Council, the Entertainment Union Coalition, the California Federation of Labor, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass's Entertainment Industry Council. For more information on California's Tax Incentive Program, check out the article "What's Next for the California Film Incentives?" on page 14. IATSE PAC Following the 2024 election, you might consider donating to the IATSE PAC. This Political Action Committee (PAC) is run entirely by the IATSE Political/Legislative Department and funded entirely by the donations of IATSE members and staffers. It backs pro-labor candidates whose values align with the IATSE Federal Issue Agenda, and all campaigns are thoroughly vetted before the PAC distributes a dime. This is one of the safest ways to donate and be assured that your contribution is supporting candidates who support your livelihood. Since its inception in 1999, the PAC has contributed to candidates who have helped create thousands of IATSE jobs, provided financial support to IATSE members during times of crisis, and expanded the power and budget of the National Labor Relations Board. Recurring donors receive a quarterly newsletter outlining PAC expenditures and current political updates from the union so that you can remain in the loop as to how your money FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR ENTERTAINMENT WORKERS This year's prolonged work stoppages have been devastating to the entertainment community across the nation. In Hollywood, our community has been supported by the profound efforts of the Motion Picture Television Fund (MPTF) and the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund). Both these charities have long histories of offering safety-net services and aid for entertainment workers and their families. They aided the entertainment unions, including Local 695, in administering their relief funds throughout the 2023 WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes against the AMPTP. Though the strikes have ended, the financial impact will continue to be felt for some time and both MPTF and the Entertainment Community Fund still have resources available to help. If you work in entertainment and you or your family are in need, please visit their websites online at www.mptf.com and www.entertainmentcommunity.org. is being spent. If you pledge to donate at the $10, $20, or $40 a month funding level, you'll receive a membership pin. Our Local is proud to be a Bronze Level participant in the PAC, thanks to the participation of our members. Our continued support has an impact on the lives of workers and the entertainment community across the nation. Back row (L-R): Beau Baker, Andy Adams, Rick Hays, Mark Burton, Roger Stevenson, Rene Defrancesch, Jonathan Fu, Fredrik Winberg, Chuck Homyak, Todd Bassman. Front row: Tom Hartig, Tim Song Jones, Patrick Martens, Jeff Wexler, Peggy Names, Randy Johnson, Rocky Quiroz, Mychal Smith.