Villaraigosa pledges more support for local TV, movie industry

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he would consider taking further steps to help the local movie and TV industry, including lowering permit fees and speeding up the film permitting process.

Speaking to a small group of Hollywood producers, location managers and film industry executives Wednesday, Villaraigosa outlined a series of steps the city has taken to assist the entertainment business, including offering free parking on city lots and working with the Department of Water and Power to install more electrical power nodes downtown. The City Council also is considering offering a 1% sales tax refund program for qualified film production expenditures.

But the mayor acknowledged that the city could do more to make L.A. film-friendly as the region struggles to keep productions from choosing states that offer richer incentives to filmmakers. COMPANY TOWN