Brief

Councilmember Adrin Nazarian introduced a motion to coordinate Los Angeles film and television production policies with regional MOUs and COG frameworks, building on related initiatives (Council Files 25-1498 through 25-1503, 25-1508, 25-1509-S1, and 26-0195 variants). The motion directs alignment with FilmLA and other stakeholders. Council adopted the item 13-0-2 on March 4, 2026, and a Board of Public Works document was subsequently referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment, and Creative Industry on August 7, 2026.

Full summary

This motion, introduced by Councilmember Adrin Nazarian and seconded by Tim McOsker, addresses the competitiveness of Los Angeles as a filming destination by directing the Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD) to partner with FilmLA to develop and negotiate formal memoranda of understanding with neighboring film jurisdictions. The goals include coordinating permitting thresholds and production categories, sharing best practices for use of public facilities and staging areas, aligning business-development strategies for film-related vendors and small businesses, improving regional workforce training, and collaborating on soundstage expansion and adaptive reuse within regional production corridors. The motion is part of a broader legislative package on creative industry retention coordinated through the Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment, and Creative Industry. The motion moved quickly through the legislative process: referred to the Economic Development and Jobs Committee in December 2025, approved by that committee on February 17, 2026 after three neighborhood councils — Los Feliz, NoHo, and Greater Wilshire — submitted community impact statements, and then adopted by the full Council 13-0-2 on March 4, 2026. Following adoption, the Board of Public Works submitted an initial status report in August 2026 that revealed significant obstacles to implementation. The EWDD flagged three core constraints: intergovernmental MOUs require City Attorney review and governing-body approval from each participating municipality, processes entirely outside the City's control; the motion's 180-day timeline for fully negotiated MOUs is unrealistic given the complexity of coordinating across independent municipal partners; and EWDD itself lacks the staffing capacity to lead the effort, having been unable to restore or add positions to its Business Response Unit for at least three budget cycles. FilmLA, the City's film permitting contractor, expressed support for regional alignment but echoed the staffing and timeline concerns. FilmLA recommended routing MOU development through existing Council of Governments forums rather than building a parallel process, using the County-endorsed California Film Commission Model Film Ordinance as a practical foundation. FilmLA also encouraged the City to formally adopt that Model Film Ordinance — which the County did in 2014 — and suggested that elements of the motion beyond permitting standards, such as vendor support, workforce training, and soundstage development, be led by other departments or private-sector partners better positioned for those roles. The Board of Public Works report was referred to the Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment, and Creative Industry on August 7, 2026, where the file remains pending.

Activity (11)

• 2026-08-07 Board of Public Works document(s) referred to Ad Hoc Committee on Film, Entertainment, and Creative Industry.
• 2026-08-06 Document submitted by Board of Public Works, dated August 6, 2026.
• 2026-03-04 Council action final.
• 2026-03-04 Council adopted item forthwith.
• 2026-02-27 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on March 4, 2026.
• 2026-02-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-02-17 Economic Development and Jobs Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-02-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council.
• 2026-02-13 Economic Development and Jobs Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 17, 2026.
• 2026-02-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council.
• 2025-12-12 Motion referred to Economic Development and Jobs Committee.

Documents (11)

• 2026-08-06 Report from Board of Public Works · report
• 2026-03-04 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-03-04 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-02-20 Community Impact Statement submitted by Los Feliz Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-02-17 Report from Economic Development and Jobs Committee · report
• 2026-02-17 Community Impact Statement submitted by NoHo Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2026-02-17 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-02-17 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-02-13 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-02-12 Community Impact Statement submitted by Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council · cis
• 2025-12-12 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2026-03-04 Vote — 13-0-2 · Regular