City joins film production battle against Canadians
Santa Monica has joined the fight to keep film production in the United States and out of Canada.
About 50 local and regional film industry workers in the American Film and Television Action Committee won the support of the Santa Monica City Council this week in their effort to have the United States government fight Canadian subsidies that they say are luring away much of Southern California’s film production work.
The film and television industry is a vital aspect of Santa Monica’s economy, generating $1.5 billion in payroll and vendor expenditures annually, according to an industry study. Santa Monica also is home to thousands of industry employees who earn their living from entertainment production.
Many jobs in post-production studios are located in Santa Monica, and a large number of outdoor scenes take place in the area, generating millions of dollars in revenue for the city and local businesses.
But supporters of the resolution say that could all come crashing to an end if Canada continues to provide large subsidies.
“We are losing roughly 10,000 jobs — worth about $2 billion — a year to Canada,” said Brent Swift, president of the American Film and Television Action Committee. “Mainly, because Canada offers a 20-40 percent subsidy on labor.”
Santa Monica is the first city in the country to endorse the resolution being sponsored by the committee. The group hopes to gather more endorsed resolutions to present to U.S. Trade representatives when lawyers for the committee file a petition next month.
The petition would force trade representatives to investigate the claims of wrongdoing by Canada. The group hopes to use the resolutions to pressure lawmakers in Washington D.C. to follow through with action.
“I have witnessed the grief caused by Canadian subsidies on Santa Monica residents,” said Santa Monica resident Michael Katz. “People are losing their jobs, their homes, their lives — everything because of these subsidies.”
“I have witnessed the grief caused by Canadian subsidies on Santa Monica residents. People are losing their jobs, their homes, their lives — everything because of these subsidies.” — — MICHAEL KATZ Santa Monica resident
Before Tuesday night’s council meeting, a host of film industry associations and unions lobbied council members to vote against the proposed resolution. They said repealing the sanctions would harm the studios and the workers they employ.
The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents all the major film and television studios, asked the council not to support the resolution because America’s trading partners may retaliate.
“While those industry employees who support the petition are concerned for the health of the motion picture and television industry in California, the proposed petition will exacerbate the very problem it hopes to resolve,” wrote Melissa Patrick, president and general manager of the MPAA.
“Since foreign markets represent 40 percent of the revenues for the entertainment industry, inviting new barriers to our experts is a risk we cannot afford,” she added.
However, the Screen Actors Guild, one of the largest and most powerful international entertainment unions, has endorsed the resolution.
The union’s treasurer, Kent McCord, applauded the city’s action and hoped more Southern California cities would follow its lead.
“I think it’s tremendous for Santa Monica to take the action they took,” he said. “I don’t think it’s selfish like (the studios) would have us believe — it’s being supportive of its residents, the citizens of California and of the United States.”
Santa Monica resident Randy Feldman said she has gone seven months without getting a decent job on a film or television project.
“Suddenly, it has all stopped,” she said. “Jobs are scarce and people with high skills are having to take any job they can get just to survive.”
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown, who introduced the resolution and urged his colleagues to vote in favor of it, said local government had to act to protect the workers in their communities.
“Santa Monica is a thriving regional hub for production and post-production, home to both workers and small businesses,” McKeown said. “We must protect our own against predatory foreign trade practices.”
He added, “If their jobs go north, our economy goes south.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 18, 2002. Read the original PDF.