WHITTIER : Panel May Ban Filming in Business District

The City Council has tentatively approved a ban on commercial filming in the city’s main business district after merchants complained that television and movie crews disrupt their operations.

The ordinance, scheduled for a final council vote later this month, would prohibit film companies from using the historic central shopping district known as Uptown, an area of about 16 blocks surrounding the intersection of Greenleaf Avenue and Philadelphia Street.

Producers of films, advertisements and television shows have long been attracted to the small-town charm of Uptown, with its quaint restaurants and turn-of-the-century storefronts. But business owners said they lose customers when filmmakers cordon off entire blocks and store camera equipment in parking lots.

“We’d have zero business,” said Chuck Marsden, who sells medical footwear. Marsden said he was forced to cancel patients’ appointments when film crews were in town. Neighboring restaurants and retail shops that depend on pedestrian traffic also suffered, he said.

Under current city regulations, business owners are permitted to negotiate individually with film companies for compensation. But the policy created tensions when business owners received different amounts of money, City Manager Tom Mauk said. The city staff, in an effort to make the city more “film friendly,” recommended limiting the amount of money a business could receive to $1,000 a day.

But the Whittier Uptown Assn., which represents businesses in the area, protested. The association asked the council to either keep the current policy or eliminate filming entirely.

“We have businesses that make a great deal more than ($1,000 a day), and they have to survive,” said Rosalie Dannenbaum, the association’s president.

The city also charges a base fee of $800 a day for film permits, Mauk said. Film crews generally use the area “about every two months,” he said.