Supervisors Order Review of Film Office After Director’s Firing : Show business: Head of private firm that runs the office declines to give an explanation for the dismissal. Industry officials denounce his action.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ordered a review of operations at the county film office after the dismissal last week of its popular director.

Stephanie H. Liner was fired from her job Aug. 16, surprising many county officials and entertainment industry executives who fear the dismissal could erode efforts to keep movie and television productions in Los Angeles County.

The film office issues about 2,800 permits annually for productions to do location shots in unincorporated areas of the county.

Liner’s dismissal was ordered by Gary Conley, president of the private, nonprofit Economic Development Corp. that runs the film office under contract with the county. Asked to appear at a hearing on the issue Tuesday, Conley declined a public explanation of the firing but said he would cooperate with any probe of film office operations and would discuss privately the reasons for the termination.

“The action I took was not a personal matter but a personnel matter,” Conley said after repeated and heated attempts by supervisors to get him to explain his decision.

“We understand our responsibility to the county is to manage this office as effectively as possible,” he said. “We regret a decision of this kind was necessary but feel it is in the best interests of all concerned.”

But several industry executives who addressed the board Tuesday denounced the firing and said it could set back production schedules.

“This termination at the peak of the production season raises a host of questions,” said Jenny Barrett, a representative of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

“It’s quite distressing to all of us,” said Frank Scherma, who produces commercials for television. “I must convince advertisers to come to L.A., and the earthquakes, fires and other disasters have had a negative impact. Stephanie had been trying to bring back advertisers and filmmakers to L.A.”

Liner, who also had won high marks from entertainment industry officials for her efforts to ease bureaucratic obstacles and restrictions on filmmaking, said it apparently was her support of the merging of the county and city of Los Angeles film offices that led to her firing.

The supervisors already have approved combining the county office with the city’s, and the concept is under consideration by the Los Angeles City Council.

Supporters argue that such a one-stop office would bring coherence to the current patchwork of requirements for permits, help reduce fees and expand the number of permitted productions.

“In my opinion, the creation of a single-purpose organization that understands all the unique aspects of this industry is not only what is wanted by the industry but it is also what is needed,” Liner wrote in an April memo to a Los Angeles city official.

Liner said the memo was the only explanation that Economic Development Corp. officials offered for her firing.

County officials familiar with the issue say the corporation was concerned about revenue losses if the film office is severed. Officials said privately that Liner also was openly critical of how the corporation was spending its annual revenue of $500,000 and had voiced concern that not enough of it was being used to recruit new business.

Conley acknowledged Tuesday that the film office has amassed a $118,000 surplus but said his board thought it prudent to put the money in reserve.

County officials, apparently in response to Liner’s firing, are mulling the idea of creating a film liaison who would be a direct link between the supervisors and the entertainment industry and who could, in theory, bypass the film office. Several county officials said hiring Liner into the position would be a way for supervisors to appease industry executives and send a message to the Economic Development Corp. that they are displeased with her firing.