PIRU : Additional Fee for Filming Approved

The next time television or motion picture production companies want to film in Piru, they will have to pay more for the privilege.

Ventura County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved charging production companies an additional fee of $325 a day to film in the unincorporated community, whose historic downtown has been used as a backdrop in many Hollywood movies.

Piru’s Neighborhood Council asked that the fee be imposed in part because so much filming goes on in the small town that it has become disruptive to the 1,600 residents. The new fee would go back to Piru to help pay for community improvements.

Although she supported the fee, Supervisor Judy Mikels expressed concern that other communities would follow with similar proposals.

But board Chairwoman Maggie Kildee, whose district includes Piru, said she believed the situation there was unique. She said the community is so small that filming not only halts traffic but also forces residents to reschedule trips to the grocery store and post office.

Production companies already pay the county $150 for a film permit and another $150 for each day of filming. With the new fee, a two-day shoot in Piru would jump from $450 to $1,100.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Frank Schillo said Tuesday that he wants to meet with staff to resolve complaints from Hidden Valley and Lake Sherwood residents over inconveniences caused by heavy filming in those areas.