LOS ANGELES — A line wrapped around Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday. Producers. Makeup artists. Camera operators. Recent graduates. All were waiting for the chance to speak before the City Council’s Economic Development and Jobs Committee, urging leaders to make it easier to film in Los Angeles.
In that line was Matthew Babb, president of IATSE Local 884 and a studio teacher who works with children on set. He said the slowdown in production has been impossible to ignore.
“There was, time right after the pandemic where I was working every day. Now, my last union job was in June. So it’s been very difficult to continue on this career path, for me and all the members of Local 884,” Babb said.
The proposals before the committee, part of what’s being called “Keep Hollywood Home,” aim to simplify the city’s filming rules, reduce overlap between departments, and make it easier to build and use soundstages. Among the specific objectives of the motions are to create a free permit for microshoots with a 24-hour turnaround and create a framework for establishing consistent rules for shooting in all neighborhoods. The motions also included the creation of a “Made in LA” campaign to promote brand identity and encourage productions.
For Babb, the reform is essential.
“It’s really important that these motions, or any motions that use common-sense reformation of the patchwork laws and Los Angeles City, be unified and simplified so that productions are more likely to film here.”
Inside the chamber, workers echoed that message at the podium. Some concerns were raised by FilmLA and other stakeholders about how the changes would be implemented. The committee voted unanimously to move the motions forward, with minor amendments.
Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who introduced the proposals, said the effort is designed to send a clear signal.
“First and foremost, these motions are collectively about demonstrating to anyone who’s making decisions in filming, to anyone who is considering a project that Los Angeles is open and welcome to more TV shoots,” he said.
Councilmember Nazarian said the package is meant to provide immediate relief and improve how the city works with productions overall.
“It’s the collective effort of all of the motions, whether it’s helping for soundstages to be expedited, the production of soundstages, whether it’s making sure that we’re not duplicating by having too many different monitors on scene, whether we’re making sure that we’re coordinating efforts of different city departments,” he said
The urgency is backed by recent data. FilmLA reported a 16% drop in shoot days in 2025 compared to 2024, a decline that industry members say translates directly into fewer jobs for local crews.
Nazarian said another phase of proposals would follow, meant to further tackle the Hollywood exodus by fixing the systems within. He acknowledged that more discussion will be needed as the proposals move forward.
“They’re more regarding the business atmosphere and the systems that are in place that govern filming as well,” he said. “And that’s going to require a little bit more work and a lot more dialog and conversation in order to make sure that we’re getting it right.”
The proposals now head to the full Los Angeles City Council.
Outside City Hall, although most never made it inside due to the volume of supporters, energy was high, and Babb said they remain hopeful the momentum continues.
“The large group of people who are standing outside right now really attest to the passion that we have to returning production to LA,” Babb said. “And we’re hoping that these motions will be the start, but not the finish of them.”
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