Mayor Bass Lauds Film and TV Production Uptick in Los Angeles

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LOS ANGELES - Mayor Karen Bass today celebrated an uptick in film and television production in Los Angeles, the first in many years. The increase comes on the heels of the successful Film and TV Tax Credit Program that Mayor Bass championed and multiple initiatives by her administration to make it easier to film in L.A.

"We have a long way to go, but after years of decline, Hollywood is finally turning a corner with more productions and more jobs," said Mayor Bass. "We have worked hand in hand with industry partners to make filming in Los Angeles easier and more affordable. That means lowering costs, cutting red tape, and creating a more predictable and efficient process for production. And we are not stopping here. City Hall will continue to partner with the industry to support good paying union jobs and expand economic opportunity across L.A."

"While it's still too early to make predictions for the coming months, the increase in Shoot Days we are seeing in key categories gives hope for a broader rise in production activity and points to the California Film and Television Tax Program's growing impact on local job creation," said Denise Gutches, CEO of FilmLA. "While some of the latest numbers are encouraging, we know that there is still significant work to be done to bring filming and jobs back to the region. FilmLA is committed to building on the progress underway with our government partners to make filming here as easy, affordable, and straightforward as possible. We are optimistic that this newly launched Low Impact Permit Pilot Program in partnership with FilmLA and the City of Los Angeles, designed to reduce permitting costs and streamline the film permitting process, will make a meaningful difference for local filmmakers. Keeping our talented, highly skilled film industry workforce employed here at home in Los Angeles, the film capital of the world, remains our primary focus."

According to FilmLA statistics released today, on-location production activity in Los Angeles increased in Q1 of 2026 (January-March) compared to Q4 of 2025 (October-December):

• 5,121 total shoot days, a 10.7% increase from Q4 of 2025 (4,625 shoot days)

• Feature Film projects increased by 45.2% quarter-over-quarter and 52.3% year-over- year

• 147 projects have been awarded tax credits through Version 4.0 of the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program

• Incentivized projects accounted for nearly 7% of all shoot days in greater Los Angeles, including 21.8%of feature production and 17.1% of television production

• In television, 33.7% of TV drama shoot days were supported by the California Film & TV Tax Credit. TV drama production increased by 40.5% in Q1 over the prior quarter, with titles including the Baywatch reboot (Fox), The Rookie S8 (ABC), Matlock S2 (CBS), 9-1-1 S9 (Fox), and The Morning Show S5 (Apple TV+).

• The TV Comedy category, totaling 120 shoot days, increased 9.1% from Q4 of 2025 and 9.1% year-over-year, with titles including It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S18 (FX), The Studio S2 (Apple TV+), High Potential S2 (ABC), Nobody Wants This S2 (Netflix), and the final season of Hacks S5 (HBO MAX)

Mayor Bass has long championed Los Angeles' film and television industry, including advancing the state Film and TV Tax Credit Program as Speaker of the State Assembly. As Mayor, she has focused on streamlining city processes and improving customer service to make filming in Los Angeles easier and more efficient.

Last week, Mayor Bass and industry leaders announced a new pilot program to provide a 20% discount at LADOT-owned parking lots citywide, helping reduce a key cost barrier for production equipment and support vehicles while improving operations for both productions and the public.

Additional progress to bolster the entertainment industry under Mayor Bass' Executive Directive 11 includes:

• Filming fees at the Griffith Observatory have been slashed by 70%

• The Central Library has reopened for filming after more than a decade

• The Port of Los Angeles has cut in half the time it takes to review filming applications

• The LA Department of Transportation has extended staff hours to ensure timely on-street signage posting requests and changes for local productions

• LADOT has pre-approved certain closures in Downtown L.A., allowing FilmLA to authorize curb lanes and local street closures in accordance with established guidelines

• LAPD has identified activity and locations where the assignment of personnel can either be waived or decreased since the Mayor's directive took effect

Additionally, the appointment of Board of Public Works President Steve Kang as the Mayor's Liaison to the film and television industry has streamlined permitting and improved cross-department coordination through a concierge-style support model.

And Mayor Bass recently took executive action to welcome productions like Baywatch back to Los Angeles. This follows the historic passage of Governor Newsom's expanded Film & TV Tax Credit Program. So far this year, Mayor Bass joined Cinespace and East End Studios to celebrate the grand opening of their new campuses in Los Angeles.

Mayor Bass also established an Entertainment Industry Council to draw on the expertise of industry leaders and issued Executive Directive 8 to support the industry locally, including establishing monthly task force meetings with key departments and industry stakeholders and requiring all departments to have a designated liaison for film and TV production.