LOS ANGELES | Politics, Economics, and Business Development

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I work in the film industry and am intimately acquainted with the intricacies of filming in Los Angeles. The new tax credits are helpful and definitely a step in the right direction, but are only one part of the problem. The bigger issue is how cumbersome it is to navigate Film LA, the "non profit" organization that controls filming in Los Angeles. The contract with Film LA was due to run out and the industry was pushing to only renew it for six months so their terms could be negotiated but City Council, in all their infinite wisdom, decided to renew their contract for a full five year term, which most likely means that nothing will change until that term is up.

Ive read about FILM LA, and its a problem but maybe they wont be as shitty as they were after covid. Theres more pushback against them so lets see how it goes.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

I still think the ideal buyer for Oceanwide is AEG. Turn the towers into hotels and condos, keep the first two floors as retail, turn the third floor into a COSM and other similar usage and the rest of the retail podium into conference / meeting space as a defacto extension of the convention center.

This is my hope

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I work in the film industry and am intimately acquainted with the intricacies of filming in Los Angeles. The new tax credits are helpful and definitely a step in the right direction, but are only one part of the problem. The bigger issue is how cumbersome it is to navigate Film LA, the "non profit" organization that controls filming in Los Angeles. The contract with Film LA was due to run out and the industry was pushing to only renew it for six months so their terms could be negotiated but City Council, in all their infinite wisdom, decided to renew their contract for a full five year term, which most likely means that nothing will change until that term is up.

My questions for industry people like you:

- Are the issues with Film LA really created by them, or is it just them navigating/enforcing underlying permit issues imposed by the City/County?
- Do people in the industry think the lip service coming from the City and County about making filming easier from a rules/permitting standpoint will result in meaningful changes?

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

My questions for industry people like you:

- Are the issues with Film LA really created by them, or is it just them navigating/enforcing underlying permit issues imposed by the City/County?
- Do people in the industry think the lip service coming from the City and County about making filming easier from a rules/permitting standpoint will result in meaningful changes?

Film LA charges very high fees, much higher than other competing cities like NY, Atlanta, and Vancouver. They also impart many arbitrary requirements, like requiring a police officer to be paid for during location shoots, which are anything that isn't shot on a film studio. I don't know if that requirement originally stems from the LAPD or Film LA, but I do know that I am currently prepping a movie in Vancouver and we do not have that requirement here.

I think the city is comprised of so many competing political forces that one hand doesn't always know what the other is doing. There are people who are fighting to make filming easier, but there are also organizations, like Film LA, who don't want to cede power or lose part of the revenue they accrue. So we will see what happens. I don't think Karen Bass cares very much though.

[scania]

Please stop talking about Karen Bass. Or Garcetti. As if he did anything better.

[38 Geary]

I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up here yet.

Denser housing near transit stops? L.A. City Council opposes state bill
Noah Goldberg
Wed, August 20, 2025 at 3:00 AM PDT

After a tense and sharply divided debate Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose a state bill that aims to vastly expand high-density housing near public transit hubs, arguing that the state should leave important planning decisions to local legislators. The council voted 8 to 5 to oppose Senate Bill 79, which seeks to mitigate the state's housing shortage by allowing buildings of up to nine stories near certain train stops and slightly smaller buildings near some bus stops throughout California.

...

"Opponents of SB 79 are offering no real solutions to address our housing shortage at the scale needed to make housing more affordable," Wiener said in a statement. "California’s affordability crisis threatens our economy, our diversity, and our fundamental strength as a state." In addition to creating more affordable housing, the bill would increase public transit ridership, reduce traffic and help the state meet its climate goals, he said. Councilmember Nithya Raman, who voted against opposing the bill, said the city's housing crisis is so dire that the council needs to work with the drafters of the bill — even if there are elements of it they do not support.

...

The bill, which passed the Senate and is before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, would allow heights of nine stories near major transit hubs, such as certain Metro train stops in L.A. A quarter-mile from a stop, buildings could be seven stories tall, and a half-mile from a stop, they could be six stories. Single-family neighborhoods within a half-mile of transit stops would be included in the new zoning rules. Near smaller transit stops, such as light rail or bus rapid transit, the allowed heights would be slightly lower. Next week, the Appropriations Committee will determine whether the bill goes to the Assembly floor for a vote. If passed in both chambers, the bill would go to Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign by mid-October. The City Council's resolution opposing the bill has no binding effect on the state Legislature but gives the council a platform to potentially lobby in Sacramento against its passage. The resolution also called for the city to be exempt from the bill because it has a state-approved housing plan.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/denser-housing-near-transit-stops-100000248.html

[38 Geary]

California's Senate Bill 79 has passed the legislature and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature. However it looks like Karen Bass is still in opposition and wrote a letter to Newsom asking him to veto it.

[38 Geary]

Bass just dropped to her knees in Ghana.

Gavin Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing
by Ben Christopher
October 10, 2025

Ever since the Legislature narrowly passed a bill last month that will pave the way for more apartment buildings around major public transit stops in the state’s biggest metro areas, the California political universe has been impatiently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto in a heated statewide game of “will he, won’t he.” Today, he did. Newsom’s sign-off on Senate Bill 79 means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors. Buildings immediately surrounding these transit hubs will be entitled to max out as high as nine stories, with those farther out topping out at roughly four.

...

The signature caps a legislative year full of housing policy overhauls that even just a few years ago would have seemed unthinkable. It also reaffirms the governor’s political alignment with the “Yes In My Backyard” movement, which has been championing the cause of building more housing in the face of a statewide housing shortage for nearly a decade. This summer Newsom signed YIMBY-backed legislation to exempt most urban apartment projects from review under one of the state’s signature environmental protection laws. “Go YIMBYs,” Newsom said when signing that bill into law. The new law is, indeed, a signature victory for the movement. The bill’s author, San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, introduced an earlier version of the policy in 2018 with the support of the then still relatively new political organization California YIMBY. This year’s version, which narrowly passed both the Senate and Assembly last month with few votes to spare, marks Wiener’s fourth attempt.

...

Newsom’s signature comes as a grave disappointment for many local governments and neighborhood groups, particularly in Southern California. Last month, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged Newsom to veto the bill, saying that it would “erode local control, diminish community input on planning and zoning, and disproportionately impact low-resource neighborhoods.” Irate homeowner groups and state legislators raised concerns that mandating higher levels of housing density would “fundamentally reshape” suburban-style neighborhoods.

https://calmatters.org/housing/2025/10/newsom-signs-massive-california-housing-overhaul/

[ChelseaFC]

Sounds like Horvath may jump in the mayor's race. Anyone know her development chops?

Don't want to get into a tit for tat political convo, just want to keep it strictly to potential impacts on development vs the current admin.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

Sounds like Horvath may jump in the mayor's race. Anyone know her development chops?

Don't want to get into a tit for tat political convo, just want to keep it strictly to potential impacts on development vs the current admin.

I was wondering about this too, since some think she could win.

[kittyhawk28]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

Sounds like Horvath may jump in the mayor's race. Anyone know her development chops?

Don't want to get into a tit for tat political convo, just want to keep it strictly to potential impacts on development vs the current admin.

She was only one of two Metro Board officials to vote in support of SB79. Shes definitely more YIMBY than Bass.

Right now Bass has a 61% disapproval rating, and 27% of voters would vote to reelect her according to a recent FM3 poll. There's definitely a major opening for a challenger.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by kittyhawk28

Right now Bass has a 61% disapproval rating, and 27% of voters would vote to reelect her according to a recent FM3 poll. There's definitely a major opening for a challenger.

News broke today that Bass directed the watering down of the After Action Report from the Palisades Fire. That's a big yikes. Not sure how she survives.

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

News broke today that Bass directed the watering down of the After Action Report from the Palisades Fire. That's a big yikes. Not sure how she survives.

She should be exiled to the political wilderness for that.

[ChelseaFC]

And almost on cue, Rick Caruso has just told KNX 1070 that he is reconsidering his decision to remain out of the mayor’s race.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

News broke today that Bass directed the watering down of the After Action Report from the Palisades Fire. That's a big yikes. Not sure how she survives.

Big, if true. But I think it remains to be seen whether it is true.

The report cites sources allegedly telling a Los Angeles Times reporter what two people close to the mayor, who is running for re-election later this year, told them. It is unclear how those sources would know the information included in the report.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/calif...isades-fire-after-action-report/3841788/

[ChelseaFC]

If Horvath and Caruso both jump in, I think Bass is toast. But we'll see.

[38 Geary]

Another candidate just threw their hat in the ring.

Tech entrepreneur enters L.A. mayor’s race, becoming the latest to take on Karen Bass
By David Zahniser and Doug Smith
Feb. 5, 2026 Updated 10:14 AM PT

A tech executive who made a fortune developing education software, then waded into the fight against homelessness, is now entering the race for Los Angeles mayor.

Adam Miller, co-founder of Better Angels, a nonprofit focused on preventing homelessness and building affordable housing, filed paperwork on Wednesday to run against Mayor Karen Bass in the June 2 primary election.

Miller, in an interview, said the city is on a downward trajectory and is beset with problems. He said it needs someone with strong leadership skills at City Hall.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story...-enters-la-mayors-race-as-deadline-nears

[38 Geary]

The 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election will be held on June 2, 2026, so it's coming up pretty soon.

It seems like regardless of the outcome of the investigation of the After Action Report from the Palisades Fire shows, based on her approval ratings, Bass is indeed toast.

[ChelseaFC]

Deadline has passed. Horvath and Caruso are out. Nithya Raman is in.

[38 Geary]

Who will you be voting for in 2026?

Karen Bass
Nithya Raman
Rae Huang
Adam Miller
Spencer Pratt

Here are the front runners for LA’s mayoral race
In a political upset, Councilmember Nithya Raman joined the race at the last minute, challenging Karen Bass’s previously smooth sailing toward re-election.
by Jireh Deng
02/10/2026 1:52 pm

Being the mayor of Los Angeles is a hefty job. The mayor of Los Angeles is the manager of all the major departments across the city—from the police department to the Bureau of Street Services. It’s a four year term, and the next person taking the job till 2030 is going to have to figure out how to balance a looming budget deficit.

Last Saturday was the filing deadline for mayoral candidates to submit their paperwork to city hall. In the days leading up to the final cut off, it wasn’t clear which contenders might step up to challenge incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Former LA Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner called off his campaign, citing the recent death of his daughter, and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath also announced she would not run — surprising some political heads who thought she was positioning herself for the office.

But the biggest twist came when City Councilmember Nithya Raman announced her candidacy with just hours to spare on the filing deadline. It seems the once clear road for Bass’s re-election has taken an unexpected turn.

https://lapublicpress.org/2026/02/la-mayor-race-2026/