California’s plan to halt Hollywood’s exodus: More taxes.

Photo above - London calling! The hit movie Barbie was filmed in London sound stages, thousands of miles from Hollywood. Because London is . . . cheaper ????!!!!

Tax increases. Is there anything they CAN’T do? We’re about to find out. California is facing a potentially ruinous flight of film and TV production to cheaper locations – both to flyover states and foreign nations. The government’s plan to fix all this is . . . higher taxes on ordinary workers. Stop laughing. This is completely true. See link at bottom.

There’s a lot of things California believes it can do without. Tesla. Electric plants. Farms (California is cutting water supplies to farmers). X/Twitter. Chevron. SpaceX. Hewlett Packard. But the legislature in Sacramento is drawing a red line when it comes to Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, and Disney.

The weapon of choice: Tax rebates to Hollywood moguls. “Many of my constituents are really panicked right now over the state of the film industry,” (California state Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Burbank). In addition to producers, directors, and on-screen talent, Ms. Friedman’s constituents include Hollywood Teamsters local 399. The teamsters have lost another 5% of their jobs this year alone.

What will it take to bring back those bring back those lost Teamsters jobs – and keep studio execs happy? I’m glad you asked. Tax credits. California plans to TRIPLE the amount of rebates and credits it hands out to Hollywood. We’re talking billions here, boys and girls. Which of course means that taxes on everyone else will have to go up by billions. Office workers. Food and hospitality workers. Factory workers. Dockworkers. Okay, maybe not them. They’re about to go on strike demanding pay hikes. And longshoremen's jobs can’t be outsourced to India, Pakistan, or the Philippines.

I might possibly be persuaded that increased spending in California is needed to solve homelessness, mass shoplifting, fentanyl overdoses, and ensure reliable water and electrical supplies. I absolutely do NOT buy the malarky that Hollywood should get the next billion tax dollars doled out by legislature.

If you think it’s insane to raise taxes on ordinary workers to increase Hollywood studio profits, you’re not alone. But evidently politicians up for re-election have done the math, and the short-term answer is today’s Hollywood campaign donations are more important than tomorrow's worker misery.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

As Productions Move Abroad, California Gears Up to Battle Film and TV Exodus (yahoo.com)