Deukmejian to Take Leading Role in Aiding Film Industry

Gov. George Deukmejian, meeting privately Thursday with film industry labor leaders, agreed to take a leading role in efforts to keep the filming of movie and television shows in California.

Deukmejian, who has already approved waiving state fees for film productions, said he would meet with labor leaders and producers to see what further steps can be taken, aides to the governor said.

“The governor has made it a priority of this Administration to draw attention to the importance of the California film industry,” said Steven A. Merksamer, the governor’s chief of staff, who also attended the meeting.

“It’s of vital importance to our state and employs as an industry thousands and thousands of people,” he said. “There are obviously some problems concerning production companies going out of state,”

Last year, 94 of 175 movies were filmed in part or entirely in California, a slight increase over the previous year, said Lisa Rawlins, director of the California Film Office. The film office was created by Deukmejian to help the studios find ways of producing their films in California.

In January, Deukmejian met with motion picture executives to discuss the problem of runaway productions and blamed, in part, high labor costs for forcing film companies to move to other states.

Ken Orsatti, national executive secretary of the Screen Actors Guild, said after the meeting that the group of 15 labor leaders explained to the governor that labor costs are not a part of the problem since most unions have nationwide contracts that do not vary from state to state.

Orsatti and Merksamer characterized the meeting at Deukmejian’s Los Angeles office as productive. Deukmejian declined to discuss the session afterwards.

Orsatti said the governor agreed to review pending legislation designed to help the movie industry, including one measure that would exempt film producers from reimbursing the state for the cost of state employees and services used during the making of a film.

“The film industry is a California film industry,” Orsatti said. “The governor can set the tone and the atmosphere that California is very interested in keeping the film industry here.”