SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the extension of the California Film and TV Tax Credit Program 4.0, as part of the State Budget Package. SB 132 was voted on by the state legislature in late June, marking a monumental milestone for the program, while addressing a trilogy of issues 1) expanding diversity efforts across the industry 2) including set safety supervision and 3) creating a refundability process. The proposal allocates $330 million annually for the next five years, starting from the 2025-26 fiscal year, with the goal of keeping California competitive, stopping runaway productions and ensuring a strong local economy. This budget win of $1.65 Billion for the next five years reaffirms California’s commitment to good union jobs and a worldwide flagship industry that got its start in the Golden State.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), a fierce advocate for diversity and workforce development initiatives in Hollywood, commended the inclusion of the program, continuing her years-long advocacy in favor of the film tax credit. Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo issued the following statement in her role as Chair of Assembly Budget Sub 4, State Administration, and newly appointed Member of the California Film Commission:
“Over the course of this year, we have done a lot of work in ensuring the new set safety supervision standards to protect workers, refundability components to ensure more member companies have access to these funds, and securing these very good union jobs here in California long-term, specifically in Los Angeles County,” said Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo. “The revenue and economic input the Film & TV Tax Credit Program provides to the State of California is unmatched. It is billions of dollars in economic input that we receive for having this program in the state that has rightfully earned California its reputation as the entertainment capital of the world. Creating diversity opportunities for this program amid the Supreme Court decision to ban Affirmative Action across the nation showcases how California continues to be ahead of the curve that ensures opportunities for all people.”
The Film & TV Tax Credit Program has played a pivotal role in maintaining California's position as a leading force in the film and television production industry. With three iterations since 2009 (1.0, 2.0, and 3.0), the most recent Program 3.0, established in 2018, amounts to $1.55 billion and spans a five-year period, concluding on June 30, 2025. Remarkably, these programs have already approved 604 projects, generated billions in production spending within California, and resulted in 164,000 casts and crew hiring. Notably, despite providing just $2.5 billion in tax credit incentives, the state has witnessed substantial economic returns.
"Our budget must continue to reflect California's commitment to advancing diversity and equity in the entertainment industry. I am proud and supportive of the measure we put forth to the Governor for his signature, which includes accountability and transparency measures to ensure productions are meeting the workforce diversity goals they have set out to achieve for themselves. It also creates opportunities for workforce development that have been highly successful at colleges like West L.A. College, to also grow at East L.A. College and others throughout our region and other parts across California that have an interest in the entertainment industry. If we are to fight off other states like New York, Georgia and various others who are competing for our industry, we need to ensure that these productions stay here,” concluded Assemblywoman Carrillo.
“California has been the global home of the motion picture industry for over a century and an important economic driver statewide since day one,” said Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin. “With today’s passage of the California Film & Television Tax Credit 4.0 program, the state has ensured that the film, television, and streaming industry will remain a vibrant part of California’s economic landscape for the future. From 2015-2020, the production incentive program generated more than $21.8 billion in economic output and supported the employment of more than 110,000 Californians, most of which are good paying, union, middle-class jobs.”
As key supporters of the Film and TV Tax Credit program, the Entertainment Union Coalition issued the following statement regarding the Film Tax Credit’s passage:
“Extended through 2030, this highly successful program has generated $8.4 billion in qualified wages paid to 1,850,000 California workers, proving that this is first and foremost a jobs bill that allows our members to work where they live surrounded by their families and participating in their communities. Along with the extension, significant new diversity provisions and a landmark Safety on Production Pilot Program were included in AB/SB 132. We thank Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Speaker Anthony Rendon for their longstanding support, Senator Steve Padilla and Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo for their months of Subcommittee work on this legislation”
More information about California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program 3.0, including application procedures, eligibility, and guidelines, is available at http://www.film.ca.gov/tax-credit/
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo was elected to the California State Assembly in December 2017. She represents the 52nd District of California, encompassing East Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, and parts of Glendale. She has served as the Chair of Budget Sub-Committee #4 on State Administration, and a member of the Appropriations, Health, Housing and Community Development, and Utilities and Energy Committees, as well as Chair of the Select Committee on Latina Inequities.
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