Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a new executive directive on Monday to support local film and TV jobs.
Bass, who spoke at a press conference at the Hollywood, acknowledged how the film industry in Los Angeles has been impacted over the years by the COVID-19 pandemic and most recently, the January wildfires.
The mayor then announced the new order, which she said “will make it easier to film in Los Angeles.”
According to a press release, Bass’ directive highlights several guidelines to make film and TV production in Los Angeles more accessible and to help cut costs.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass holds up a signed executive directive announcing support for filming and production jobs, at the SAG-AFTRA Union headquarters in Los Angeles, on May 20, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
First, it requires city departments to “make iconic City locations more accessible and affordable for filming” by “creating guidelines for onsite filming, cutting review timelines, and calling for the lowering of certain City fees.”
Next, the directive calls for lowering “costs and coordination time by reducing the number of City departmental staff who are assigned to monitor filming on set to one total City staff member, as City law allows.”
During the press conference, Bass noted how current practices “often requires numerous staff,” which “raises the cost and adds layers of bureaucracy.”
The final detail that the directive orders is “instituting a proactive, film-friendly approach to communication between City departments and production, including the communication of upcoming infrastructure projects that could impact filming schedules.”
Bass received the support of Los Angeles Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who has partnered with the mayor to help streamline the filming process.
At the press conference, Nazarian thanked Bass for “hearing the cry of the film and television industry loud and clear and taking the steps necessary so that we can stem the tide and turn it back around.”
Nazarian continued, “Given the dire circumstance we’re in, we cannot allow the heart of Los Angeles to leave Los Angeles.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass holds a news conference before signing an executive directive announcing support for filming and production jobs, at the SAG-AFTRA Union headquarters in Los Angeles, on May 20, 2025.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Bass’ new executive directive comes more than a month after a report from FilmLA, a partner film office for the city and county of Los Angeles and other local jurisdictions, issued an update about filming in the region.
The report found that on-location production in the area “declined by -22.4 percent from January through March 2025.”
According to the report, TV drama production declined in the first quarter to -38.9 percent, while TV comedy production declined -29.9 percent.
Following the wildfires, the report noted that “approximately 545 unique filming locations fell within the fires’ burn zones.”
Those areas still remain off-limits, according to the report.
