In the final days before Tuesday’s election, L.A. City Council member Nithya Raman on Friday appealed to gubernatorial candidates to support uncapped tax incentives for film and television production.
Raman appeared outside Radford Studios with celebrities supporting the mayoral race, including Mike Schull, Cord Jefferson, and Kay Cannon.
“We must ensure that Hollywood remains a reliable gateway to the middle class for Angelenos,” Raman said. “We have to protect it before it gets even further away.”
The dramatic downturn in Hollywood film production has become a key issue in the mayoral and gubernatorial elections. Mayor Karen Bass has also moved in recent months to reduce city location fees by pushing for uncapped state tax credits, and has the backing of Hollywood’s three junior labor unions.
Former reality TV star Spencer Pratt accused his two rivals of not doing more to stop job losses in the industry.
“Look how Hollywood fell off a cliff right after Karen Bass took over,” Pratt said on Friday’s X show. “Give her four more years and Hollywood is done. She’ll be done with the job of killing the golden goose in our city. Vote like your life depends on it, LA. It is.”
Among the top three candidates in the gubernatorial race, only Republican Steve Hilton wants unlimited state tax breaks for Hollywood productions.
Xavier Becerra, the top Democrat in most polls, has said he will increase the $750 million program, but has not promised to make it unlimited. Becerra announced his Hollywood policy last week, vowing to hold an entertainment summit early in his administration to gather input from stakeholders. Tom Steyer has similarly promised to expand the program, but does not support uncapped tax credits.
Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa are the only gubernatorial candidates who have pledged to completely eliminate the cap, but none have said how much it would cost. Mr. Raman has not endorsed any candidate.
The state’s $750 million tax break is scheduled to expire in 2030. On Friday, Raman urged gubernatorial candidates to seek an early extension of the program to ensure stability.
She also accused Pratt of sharing an AI-generated campaign video. This is a sensitive topic for many in the industry.
“I would say to people who are really concerned about the state of Los Angeles and who are interested in keeping Hollywood in Los Angeles, it’s better to stay away from a candidate who has relied on sharing AI videos as his primary means of communication on these issues,” Raman said.
Raman was also asked about a report in LA Material that his campaign reached out to the candidate to his left, Lei Fan, urging him to drop out and solidify his Democratic Socialist Party vote. Mr. Raman confirmed that his camp had spoken with Mr. Huang.
“I think both of us are very, very alarmed by the idea that, even if it’s just for the next five months, a national MAGA network could feed Spencer Pratt and millions of dollars and essentially corrupt the civic life of our city,” Raman said. “That, for me, is something that really terrifies me in my heart, and I think it’s definitely worth thinking about how to achieve the bold, positive, progressive vision that she and I share for Los Angeles.”
