City, County Briefs: Mayor Releases Land Report Back and County Moves to Extend Film Tax Credit

Mayor Karen Bass Releases City-Owned Land Report Back

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass May 16 released a letter detailing the interdepartmental work completed to identify public lands suitable for interim and permanent housing development. The report back also lays out next steps and timelines for creating a new paradigm for scaling up development of city lands to solve the homelessness and affordable housing crisis. This comes after the mayor signed executive directive 3 to maximize the use of city-owned property for temporary and permanent housing as she moves Los Angeles forward with an urgent and strategic approach to addressing the homelessness crisis.

“Part of urgently addressing this crisis is identifying land to build housing in ways we haven’t before, which will bring the overall cost of housing Angelenos down and it also allows us to act quicker. Today’s report shows groundbreaking progress in our effort and I look forward to continuing collaboration with all levels of government as we work to bring our unhoused neighbors inside.”

Read the letter here. 

LA County Board Backs Tax Credits to Keep TV, Film Jobs in L.A.

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors May 16 unanimously approved a motion co-authored by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey P. Horvath that formally conveys their support to Gov. Newsom for an extension of the current California Film Tax Credit for another five years.

Administered by the California Film Commission, the tax credit program provides economic relief to a variety of film and television companies who produce their projects in California. The current $1.55 billion tax relief program will expire June 30, 2025.

Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell mentioned during the Board’s policy discussion that there should also be a board focus on how entertainment industry studios are working to create an equitable workforce pipeline that adds diversity among its employees. 

Supervisor Barger replied affirmatively, stating “We certainly have a lot of work to do when it comes to hiring and diversity. We must capitalize and promote the local talent available in our communities who can be significantly uplifted by these types of stable and well-paying jobs.”