State Senator Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, joined 38 of her legislative colleagues in sending a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tempore Limón, and Assembly Speaker Rivas, urging them to protect entertainment industry jobs threatened by tax credit caps included in SB 122.

The entertainment industry is not an abstract economic concept for local communities throughout Santa Clarita, Antelope and Victor Valleys.

It is the livelihood of thousands of families across our district and surrounding communities who work on film and television productions, run small businesses that support those productions, and depend on the economic activity the industry generates every single day.

“I voted against SB 122 because these jobs are vital for our community,” said Senator Valladares. “This area is home to some of the most hardworking men and women in the entertainment industry, from cast and crew to the small business owners who fuel these productions. These are good paying middle-class jobs with healthcare and retirement benefits, and Sacramento is on the verge of pulling the rug out from under them just one year after we made a promise to bring those jobs back.”

Just nine months after the expansion of the Film and Television Jobs Program took effect, the results have been dramatic.

The program has kept 133 productions in California, generated $5.5 billion in economic activity statewide, created 38,050 cast and crew jobs, and produced nearly 248,000 days of work for background actors.

The Santa Clarita Valley, long known as a hub for film and television production, has directly benefited from this resurgence.

SB 122 now threatens to reverse that momentum by capping business tax credits earned under the Film and Television Jobs Program, creating significant uncertainty for production companies and undermining the commitments the Legislature made to the industry and its workers just last year under AB 1138.

The tax credits earned under the Film and Television Jobs Program are a commitment made by the state in exchange for job creation.

Retroactively changing those rules does not represent responsible budgeting.

It represents Sacramento breaking its word to the working families who were counting on it.

“For 100 years, California was the home of film and television production,” Senator Valladares said. “We fought hard last year to reclaim that legacy and bring those jobs back. SB 122 risks throwing that progress away for short-term budget savings on the backs of the very workers we promised to protect. That is not a trade-off that we should be willing to accept.”

Senator Valladares and her colleagues are calling on the Governor and legislative leadership to exempt the Film and Television Jobs Program from the caps imposed by SB 122 before the end of the current legislative session next month.

Ed. Note: The above information was provided to KHTS Radio by Valladares’ Office.

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