Council OKs Merger of City, County Film Offices

Los Angeles tried Tuesday to regain the love--and money--of the film industry when the City Council gave final approval to a plan to make it easier for film companies to get on-location shooting permits even as it placed some new restrictions on the companies.

On a 13-0 vote, the council approved a plan to consolidate its film permit office with one operated by Los Angeles County.

“This sends a signal all over the world that L.A. is putting out the welcome mat to the film industry,” Councilman Hal Bernson said.

“We’re done--it’s over!” said Kathleen Milnes, who, as vice president of the Public Affairs Coalition of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, has been working on the proposal for more than a year.

The consolidation ordinance still requires Mayor Richard Riordan’s signature and approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. If approved as anticipated, consolidation is expected to reduce the time it takes motion picture firms to get permits to do on-location shooting, said Cody Cluff, head of the city’s soon-to-be-defunct film permit office.

If successful, the new organization will help staunch the flight of movie production to areas outside Los Angeles that offer financial incentives and other inducements to film companies. Industry officials have complained bitterly about red tape in seeking local permits.

The film industry pumps $16 billion into the state’s economy annually, $8.3 billion in the city of Los Angeles alone, Cluff said.

But in recent years, the Los Angeles area’s slice of the film production pie has been shrinking, Cluff said.

The plan is not designed just to appease the entertainment industry. It also offers some consolation to residents burned out on noisy and intrusive movie productions in their neighborhoods.

Under the plan, when a script calls, for example, for gunfire, explosions, high-speed car chases and low-flying helicopters, the film company must consult with the area’s City Council member before shooting may begin.