- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signed an executive order to streamline film production permits and cut costs, aiming to revitalize L.A.'s struggling film industry by reducing bureaucratic hurdles and making iconic locations more accessible.
- Due to competition from states like Georgia and New Mexico, the pandemic, Hollywood strikes and wildfires, on-location filming dropped 25 percent in early 2025, hurting local businesses and workers.
- The city is offering incentives to landlords who allow their buildings to be used as film sets, helping offset financial strain amid record-high apartment vacancies.
- President Donald Trump announced plans for a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made films, calling overseas production a "national security threat" and an economic drain.
- The film industry's decline has led to job losses, economic strain and criticism of Hollywood's monopolistic practices, with some advocating for grassroots boycotts of upcoming films in protest.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has signed an executive order that would streamline production permits and cut costs for filmmakers to revitalize the City of Angels' struggling film industry.
Los Angeles has long been the heart of global film production, but in recent years, runaway production has drained jobs to states like Georgia and New Mexico, where tax incentives and cheaper labor lure studios away. The pandemic, the 2023 Hollywood strikes and the January 2025 wildfires, which temporarily shut down 30 productions, have only worsened the strain.
In the first quarter of 2025, on-location filming in L.A. dropped nearly 25 percent compared to the previous year. The ripple effects have devastated local businesses, from restaurants to prop houses, while many below-the-line workers have left the city entirely.
"Los Angeles has faced increased competition from other states and countries," Bass said while standing outside the headquarters of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). "Combined with the overall decline in production, it has become particularly challenging for the local film and television sector."
Bass' executive order, signed on Tuesday, May 20, seeks to make iconic locations like the Central Library and Griffith Observatory more accessible to productions while reducing bureaucratic hurdles.
The order targets FilmLA, the city- and county-backed office responsible for managing permits, which has long been criticized for high costs and inefficiencies that drive productions to other regions offering better tax incentives. Bass' directive calls for reducing the number of city employees assigned to monitor film sets and improving coordination between departments to prevent delays.
Additionally, the city is offering tax credits to property owners who allow their buildings to be used as film sets – a move that could help offset the financial strain on landlords amid record-high apartment vacancies. (Related: California challenges Trump's tariff plan in historic legal battle.)
"We are going to fight now," Bass said. "While we push for the tax credits to be passed in Sacramento, we need to do what we can today to impact building in Los Angeles. The City is taking bold action to support our legacy industry. Keeping entertainment production in L.A. means keeping good-paying jobs in L.A., and that's what we are fighting for."
Trump to bring film production back to the U.S.
Bass' order appears to align with President Donald Trump's broader push to bring film production back to the United States.
Trump criticized the reliance of Hollywood on overseas production, calling it a "national security threat" and an economic drain. In line with this, Trump announced his plan for steep tariffs on foreign-made films in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"The movie industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other nations and, therefore, a national security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100 percent tariff on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!" he posted on May 5.
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