Garcetti pushes for film, TV production tax cuts in LA

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke to workers on the Disney lot in Burbank on Thursday, giving them some encouraging economic news.

And this is it, in a nutshell: Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders are calling for a big boost in the state's tax credit program for film and television productions.

"This is where the industry was born. This is where the industry grew. And this is where the industry needs to remain," Garcetti said.

The five-year deal ups the ante from $100 million a year to $330 million starting next July. If approved, it also scraps the lottery process that previously picked the tax credit recipients. The new plan? Applicants will be judged based on the number of jobs they provide, and their economic impact.

The mayor and his team have been working to get production back to California since he was elected. Garcetti made his final push to the governor earlier this week.

"Let's take the worst case scenario, and this is what I used in my closing argument, a 90 percent return means this isn't $330 million out the door. It's only $33 million out the door in exchange for tens of thousands of jobs. That's a better return on the tax payer dollar than any other jobs program in the state right now," Garcetti said.

The mayor estimates that, within a year, tens of thousands of jobs will be back in California.

"We've been watching this industry slowly melt away from this state. Today, we put the flag back down and we say California's coming back," he said.

He made his remarks on the set of the upcoming ABC series "Blackish," where star Anthony Anderson had another concern: two parking tickets he got this week.

"I don't mind spending $25 dollars on an expired meter, but $63?" he joked.

The mayor said a citizens' group is working to change the cost of parking tickets, which Garcetti says are "totally out of whack."

Meantime, if the tax bill passes on the Senate floor Thursday and clears the Assembly, it goes to the governor's desk for signing.