California Film Commission.

Existing law, the Motion Picture, Television, and Commercial Industries Act of 1984, establishes within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) , the California Film Commission consisting of 26 members, as provided. Existing law requires the commission, among other duties, to encourage motion picture and television filming in California and to make recommendations to the Legislature, the Governor, GO-Biz, and other state agencies on legislative or administrative actions that may be necessary or helpful to maintain and improve the position of the state's motion picture industry in the national and world markets. This bill, among other things, would revise and recast those provisions by requiring the commission to have a Board of Commissioners consisting of those 26 members and would assign some of the duties of the commission to the board, as specified. The bill would replace various references to "motion picture and television filming" and "motion picture" in the act and other laws related to the commission with a reference to "media production." The bill would define "media production" to include, but not be limited to, the production of motion pictures, film, digital media, television, commercials, and still photography. Existing law requires the director of the commission to be the permitting authority for the use of state-owned property and state employee services for the purpose of making commercial motion pictures. Exiting law authorizes the commission to establish fees not to exceed the actual cost of the affected state agency for this purpose, and requires those fees to be deposited in the Film Transfer Account, established in the Special Deposit Fund, for disbursement by the director to reimburse the operating departments for their actual costs. This bill would instead require each state agency, department, or commission having jurisdiction over a state property to work with the commission to establish fees not to exceed the recovery of costs for state services and property maintenance and to submit the proposed fees in writing to the commission, as provided. The bill would instead require these fees to be collected and recorded by the commission, and would authorize these fees to be deposited in the Film Transfer Account or forwarded to the operating agency, department, or commission for reimbursement to recover costs. Existing law requires the commission to release annually the number of motion picture starts that occurred within California. This bill would instead require the commission, through the 2019–20 fiscal year, to annually release a summary report on the status of the Film and Television Tax Credit Program, including any available data related to the increase or decrease of media production in California. Existing law requires the director of the commission to provide staff support to the commission, and authorizes the director of GO-Biz to assign additional staff on a temporary or permanent basis when needed. This bill would repeal that provision. Existing law, as a means to carry out the commission's purposes, establishes in the State Treasury the Film Promotion and Marketing Fund, and requires moneys in the fund to be available for expenditure by the commission upon appropriation by the Legislature. Existing law requires proceeds that accrue to the state from the sales of location library documents, photocopying, and other film-related information documents to be deposited in the fund. This bill would additionally require sponsorships and donations to be deposited in the fund. Existing law requires the commission, with input from the motion picture industry and local and state government, to develop and adopt a "model process for granting film permits," as provided. Existing law requires the commission to send each city and county a copy of the model process for granting film permits for local consideration. Existing law, prior to the adoption of, or an amendment to, the written filming policy of a local government, requires the local government to submit a draft of the ordinance or amendment to the Director of the Film Office and requires the Film Office to review drafts submitted and to report its finding to the local government, as provided. This bill would instead require the local government to submit a draft of the ordinance or amendment to the director of the commission and would require the commission to review drafts submitted and to report its finding to the local government. Existing law requires the Film Office and its director to encourage the use of a uniform application form, as specified, for obtaining a local permit to engage in film production within the jurisdiction of a county, city, or city and county. This bill would instead require the commission and its director to encourage the use of a uniform application form for obtaining a local permit to engage in media production.