Newsom announces new plan to lure filming back to Southland

Gov. Gavin Newsom is pitching a proposal to more than double the tax credit the state offers to producers of films and TV shows that shoot in California.
Appearing with industry union leaders Oct. 27, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-Burbank, Newsom announced a plan to boost the annual tax credit from its current $330 million to $750 million, which would represent the largest amount offered by any state except Georgia, which has no cap on its credits.
The plan, which still needs approval by the state Legislature, could take effect as early as July 2025.
The Los Angeles area, long considered the center of film and TV production in the United States, has struggled to retain its hold in recent years, losing business to Canada and other states that offer more attractive incentives, most prominently New York and Georgia.
“We wanted to reconcile the stress that’s been building up here for, frankly, the better part of a decade,” Newsom said, referring to the competition from other places, the coronavirus pandemic and the crippling writers and actors strikes of 2023.
“I don’t know how they can continue to afford that program (in New York), and we’ll see” how it goes in Georgia, he added.
In a statement released earlier Sunday, Newsom called California “the entertainment capital of the world, rooted in decades of creativity, innovation, and unparalleled talent. Expanding this program will help keep production here at home, generate thousands of good-paying jobs, and strengthen the vital link between our communities and the state’s iconic film and TV industry.”