Mayor Bass’s Resistance to California’s Film Industry

Los Angeles, the epicenter of California’s film and television industry, faces a crisis of “runaway production,” with projects fleeing to states like Georgia and countries like Canada and the UK, for better tax incentives. Governor Gavin Newsom’s expansion of the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program this week, increasing funding from $330 million to $750 million starting July, 2025, and his bill signed ceremoniously July 2, aims to reverse the flight trend, boost the economy, and preserve California’s status as the global entertainment capital.

However, LA’s Mayor Karen Bass, facing re-election in June 2026—less than a year away—is being sharply criticized for her inadequate response and her apparent resistance to prioritizing the film industry. A recent UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll from May 2025 reveals her approval rating has plummeted to just 32%, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction that compounds obvious perceptions of her disengagement from Hollywood’s needs.

Bass, to many, is a failure; her lack of enthusiasm juxtaposed to Newsom’s robust entertainment industry legislation, demonstrates that her inaction threatens Los Angeles’s role in the state’s film industry revival.

Los Angeles’s film industry generates $115 billion annually and supports over 681,000 jobs. The public shows frustration, particularly with Bass’ handling of the 2025 Palisades wildfire, which has spilled over into perceptions of her neglect of Hollywood. Her failures are numerous.

Bass has been slow to address industry complaints about bureaucratic permitting and high costs. Her August 2024 Executive Directive 8, creating a film task force, and her May 2025 directive, reducing port insurance review times from seven to four days, were belated responses to issues raised by FilmLA years earlier. With on-location production down 22.4% in Q1 2025, her measures, in response, suggest a lack of urgency, frustrating stakeholders who see productions fleeing to Georgia, Canada, the UK and Malta’s offering very enticing 30% to 40% rebates.

Bass’s focus on homelessness, along with 2028 Olympics planning, wildfire recovery, and riots, has apparently sidelined the film industry. Her famously scandalous absence during the 2025 wildfires, due to a trip to Ghana, drew sharp criticism, with only 19% of residents in a March 2025 poll rating her response as acceptable. This fuels perceptions that she prioritizes political optics over Hollywood’s economic needs, undermining Newsom’s new state-level industry efforts.

Bass’s recent directives, while streamlining permitting, are insufficient against global competitors offering 30-40% rebates. Major permitting complexity persists, especially around FilmLA fees and bureaucracy. Local Los Angeles Reddit users’ complaints abound; they also reflect a call for 50% cash rebates. Bass failed to propose any city-specific incentives or to aggressively lobby for federal support signals her resistance to bold action.

Industry insiders decry Los Angeles’ over-regulation, calling for permit fees to be cut with streamlined approvals. Her unenthusiastic endorsement of Newsom’s tax credit plan shows her lack of proactive advocacy needed to keep Los Angeles competitive. Bass doesn’t seem to want to actually fix the broken city permit and licensing process.

Film industry observers argue Bass’ reforms, while helpful, were “modest” and “relatively late” and did little to confront high labor/healthcare costs tied to unionized workforces. Another Redditor noted: “lack of tax incentives + horrific government and business process + high costs of labor = dead LA film industry.”

Critics view Bass’s meager initiatives as electoral pandering, especially given her vulnerable 32% approval rating and yes, a recall campaign. Bass pledged what she thinks is a lot, yet actually does little meaningful, and she is poised to take credit if and when the film industry rebounds.

Mayor Bass has ignored critical production gaps, such as incentives for visual effects (VFX) or multi-camera sitcoms, which are instead outsourced to Canada and Australia. It remains absent from her agenda. Her failure to maintain Los Angeles as a leader in emerging production technology and trends further erodes industry confidence, reinforcing perceptions of her disengagement as she instead focuses on re-election and other issues.

Bass’s history as Assembly Speaker in 2008, 17 years ago, when she helped pass the original tax credit program, is today overshadowed by her current inaction. Her low approval rating—32% favorable —reflects a broader loss of trust, with only Black voters and seniors viewing her positively, making her re-election bid precarious and her film industry support highly volatile.

LA filming days dropped ~22–30% in early 2025; only 20% of North American shows shoot there now. Terrible! This exodus is driven by producers chasing better tax rebates and fewer red tape hurdles elsewhere, even overseas.

Bass’s response is woefully inadequate. Industry leaders like SAG-AFTRA cautiously praise her directives, but grassroots frustration highlights a disconnect. With re-election in June 2026 looming, Bass’s resistance to prioritizing Hollywood threatens to cede the city’s legacy to competitors. Her lukewarm measures and outright shunning fail to match the urgency needed to keep Los Angeles competitive, risking Hollywood’s decline unless she aligns with (or exceeds) Newsom’s goals through proactive leadership.