BUREAUCRACY WATCH : Film--and Red Tape

For the better part of a year the Los Angeles City Council has had the opportunity to deliberate on Mayor Richard Riordan’s plan to merge city and county film permitting offices into one nonprofit agency. Now there’s danger that this worthy proposal may be deliberated to death.

In case anyone needs to be reminded, the studios and the film and television production jobs they provide represent a vital element of the Los Angeles-area economy. Certainly the economic impact of production work has not been overlooked by the scores of film commissions from outside the region that have been offering the moon and the stars to lure away every possible project. The City Council members calling for more discussion of the Riordan plan--Ruth Galanter and Rita Walters--contend they merely are looking out for constituents’ best interests. In too many instances, they say, residents and businesses suffer because they are not told of filming in advance.

Galanter has proposed amendments to the consolidation plan that would, in effect, require every film permit issued in Los Angeles to be approved by the council member in whose district filming would occur. She also would require those seeking permits to sign a “code of conduct.”

It’s certainly appropriate for council members to look out for their constituents. But every filming project should not require the personal approval of a council member before it can go forward. Surely there’s a less bureaucratic way to address residents’ concerns--and a way to consolidate the city and county film offices without further delay.