Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538245
MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 9 Program, making California simply not as competitive as productions and budgets only get bigger and seek homes that allow them to maximize profits. To try to bolster the entertainment industry and the thousands of jobs that the industry provides, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed expanding the Film and Television Jobs Program from $330 million to $750 million annually, a direct investment in California's workforce, unlike corporate tax breaks. Productions that receive the incentive must hire local workers and spend a certain threshold of their budgets within the state. This is crucial for continued dominance in the entertainment industry, retaining jobs, attracting new productions, and supporting businesses and other industries that rely on the entertainment industry. In addition to this proposed budget increase, Assembly Bill 1138 and Senate Bill 630 have been working their way through the California Congress, promising to increase the tax incentive cap from 20% to 35%, keeping California competitive with increases across the nation. Early in June, Congress passed both bills through the House and Senate, and programmatic changes to AB 1138 passed in early July. As of late June, the Legislature has also agreed to the $750 million expansion, with Gov. Newsom announcing 48 new projects approved for the Film & Television Tax Credit Program. According to the governor's office, these projects "are collectively expected to hire 6,515 cast and crew members, as well 32,000 background performers (measured in days worked), across 1,346 total California filming days." Instrumental to getting AB 1138/ SB 630 passed has been the Entertainment Union Coalition (EUC) and California IATSE Council (CIC). Our own 705 Political Action Team (PAT) worked closely with both organizations in lobbying efforts, with trips to Sacramento and getting the word out on why the Keep California Rolling movement is so important to the future of film work in Los Angeles. Benjamin A. LaRiviere, Local 705 Men's Finished Costumer and PAT Co-chair, told me, "I haven't had a union job since I was sworn in a couple years ago, but I was looking for a way to become more politically active and involved." LaRiviere went to the first lobbying trip to Sacramento, a whirlwind two-day event that included testimonials and lobbying. "I didn't know much about Keep California Rolling before I was in Sacramento," LaRiviere admitted, but he was soon enmeshed in a political crash course that saw him organizing the next few lobbying trips for 705 members and seeing that many people outside of the industry have a fundamental misunderstanding of who these tax credits benefit. "It's been jarring to see that people outside the industry don't have a grasp of what's going on," Rachel Harmon, Women's Finished Costumer and PAT member, told me. "Our goal is to get the lawmakers to understand that this is about below- the-line workers, not those above the line." Harmon also participated in one of the lobbying trips to Sacramento, "I went with Jackie Kahn [Women's Finished Key Costumer and PAT Co- chair] to voice our support for AB 1138. It should be a bigger thing that people should be talking about. Film is about California's flagship industry. We need to protect the integrity of that work and keep film here. We have the most talented people, and California has the infrastructure to have massive films here." Kahn agreed, "This isn't affecting just actors—it's the crew, including the Costumers, the costume houses, the value of the talent that we have here. There's a reason when filming in LA, things stay on schedule and on budget. You start and end with the same crew. The worker community here is incomparable." Even taking aside the talent, the resources available in Los Angeles are unparalleled—LA was built Lisa Gardner, Women's Finished Key Costumer, heading to Sacramento. "Film is about California's flagship industry. We need to protect the integrity of that work and keep film here. We have the most talented people and California has the infrastructure to have massive films here." —RACHEL HARMON, Women's Finished Costumer