TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Talyn Mirzakhanian, City Manager
FROM:
Mark Leyman, Parks and Recreation Director
Linda Robb, Senior Management Analyst
Janeth Medina, Administrative Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of a One-Year Pilot Program with FilmLA to Facilitate the City's Film Permitting Process and Adoption of a New Film Permit Fee Structure (Budgeted) (Parks and Recreation Director Leyman).
(Estimated Time: 45 Mins.)
A) APPROVE
B) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 25-0130
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a one-year pilot program with FilmLA to facilitate the City's film permitting process and adopt a new film permit fee structure.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
FilmLA does not charge the City to facilitate film permits or for any of the additional services they provide under contract. Under the proposed model, FilmLA would collect the application fee directly from production companies, while the City will continue to collect daily filming rates and any required staffing fees.
As part of this one-year pilot program, the City's daily filming rates are proposed to be reduced to align more closely with those of neighboring jurisdictions. In FY 2025, the City collected $43,700 in daily filming fees. If filming activity remains at the same level, revenue under the proposed rates is estimated to total approximately $24,210, a decrease of $19,530. If approved, an adjustment to anticipated revenues in FY 2026 will be included with the Mid-Year Budget report in February 2026.
FilmLA's streamlined permitting process, industry partnerships, recent expansion of the State's tax credit and our revised daily filming fees are expected to attract additional productions during the pilot program. Increased filming activity is expected to counteract the impact of reduced fees.
BACKGROUND:
FilmLA is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that partners with local munici...
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