The following is a submission from Senator Ben Allen.
California’s film and television industry, which has seen promising production numbers over the past year, received two additional lines of support that will establish a new tax credit to support jobs in post-production and stabilize the recently modernized Film & TV Tax Credit Program. Senator Ben Allen (D-Hollywood) co-authored AB 2319 (Schultz) and helped lead the effort on SB 186 to bring these jobs back to California.
“Our iconic media industry has entertained the world for decades thanks to the hard work of so many dedicated individuals who bring these productions to life,” said Senator Allen. “While runaway production had caused a lot of distress across the state, we’ve made good progress in restoring these jobs in California since expanding our tax credit program last year. Now, we’re committed to building on and protecting these successes that are supporting tens of thousands of working families.”
Since enacting the Film & Television Jobs Act (Allen, Zbur) in 2025, 170 projects have chosen to film in California to create nearly 35,000 cast and crew jobs and generate $6.6 billion in economic activity. AB 2319 builds on this momentum by creating a new tax credit for post-production work, including picture editorial, sound, music, visual effects, and finishing.
SB 186 additionally protects the recent successes of California’s Film & TV Program by exempting independent productions from the credit caps instituted by SB 122, protecting unused tax credits from premature expiration, and improving refundability.
“Last year, we made a historic commitment to bring film and television jobs back to California, and I was determined to make sure we kept that commitment,” said Assemblymember Zbur (D-Hollywood), who authored the Film and Television Jobs Act alongside Senator Allen. “We’re beginning to see real signs of progress, but we know there is much more work ahead. California is competing every day for these productions and these jobs, and we have to continue fighting to make sure the entertainment industry has a strong future here in the state where it was born. SB 186 protects the progress we’ve made and provides greater stability and certainty for productions deciding where to invest and for the thousands of workers whose livelihoods depend on this industry.”
These support levers come as Department of Justice announces settlement on the Paramount/Warner Bros. Merger
Earlier this week, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement that will allow the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger to continue forward with guardrails in place that guarantee a minimum amount of annual releases and investments in domestic production and workforce development.
“Our top priority with this proposed merger has always been to protect California’s workforce and consumers,” Allen added. “Even with a settlement in place, we must keep this under a microscope to ensure the typical harmful impacts from megamergers like this are completely mitigated.”
