LA Times: Lawmakers to offer new plan for TV and film production tax breaks

Dylan O'Brien rehearses in December 2012 a scene from the MTV series "Teen Wolf," which relocated from Georgia to Los Angeles to take advantage of a California tax credit. Two L.A. legislators will propose a new film and TV incentive package when the Legislature reconvenes in January. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times / December 10, 2012)

By Melanie Mason - October 4, 2013

SACRAMENTO --Two Los Angeles legislators announced this week they'll be pushing a new plan for tax breaks for film and TV production when the Legislature comes back to work in January.

California has had incentives for the entertainment industry since 2009, in an effort to fend off other states trying to lure film and TV shoots with generous tax breaks.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the latest round of tax credits last year, which authorize $100 million in credits annually until July 1, 2017.

Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) said in an interview that his plan with state Sen. Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles) would be more than an extension of the current plan.

"I view this as a rather new product with different ideas," said Gatto, who serves on the California Film Commission, which allocates the tax credits.

Those new proposals include a tiering system that would give the maximum credit to productions that pay wages to California residents and incentives to build sound stages and post-production facilities.

Gatto said there would also be a credit for shoots that take place in under-utilized areas of the state, a provision that could address "the perception problem with the [current] credit that it’s purely for Southern California."

“Given the vulnerable state of our economy we can’t afford to hemorrhage any more good-paying jobs,” said De León in a statement. “First thing in 2014, we need to extend the film tax credit and improve it to maximize job retention and bolster this home-grown industry..."

...The entertainment industry last year originally sought a five-year extension of the credits, but ended up with two additional years.

And there's been much back-and-forth as to the economic benefit the credits have delivered. Studies by UCLA and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. said the incentives have provided an economic boost; the state's Legislative Analyst's Office said the program caused a net loss in state revenues.

"If this was just an expansion -- a very inelegant, blunt direct expansion of the current credit -- I’d probably have a problem with that myself," Gatto said.

"The only reason why I feel comfortable doing this now is I believe it's possible to craft it in a way that really does maximize benefit to the community as a whole," he said.

You can read this article and more by visiting the Los Angeles Times HERE

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

LA Times: Brown signs law amending state's anti-toxins law, Proposition 65

California Gov. Jerry Brown, center, signed a law giving businesses that are in violation of Proposition 65 two weeks to post the required notices before they are subject to lawsuits or steep fines. (Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press / January 24, 2013)

By Melanie Mason - October 5, 2013

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed into law changes to Proposition 65, the state's landmark anti-toxins law, that aim to reduce lawsuits and fines for businesses.

The initiative, which voters approved in 1986, requires businesses to post notices about the presence of possibly dangerous chemicals, which include alcohol, carcinogens found in parking garages and byproducts of coffee roasting.

Some business owners, particularly owners of bars and coffee shops, complained the law had spawned a wave of frivolous lawsuits and excessive fines over improper signage.

The measure by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) gives businesses that are in violation of the law two weeks to post the required notices before they are subject to lawsuits or steep fines.

Gatto said he was in a "state of disbelief" that his bill, AB 227, had become law, particularly because making changes to the initiative required two-thirds approval in the Legislature.

"Nobody has been able to do this since 1986," he said...

You can read this article and more by visiting the Los Angeles Times HERE

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

Ventura County Star: State Senate Passes Bill Funding Citrus Disease Research

Photo by Juan Carlo, Ventura County Star

by Staff Reports

Assemblyman Mike Gatto’s bill to increase funding for fighting citrus diseases and the pests that carry them, particularly the Asian citrus psyllid insect, is headed to Gov. Jerry Brown.

The bill passed the Senate Monday on a 38-0 vote.

AB 571, which Gatto, D-Los Angeles, introduced in late February, adds $5 million a year from the general fund to the citrus disease management account in the Department of Food and Agriculture fund.

The money would pay for research and programs to fight citrus diseases and the insects that carry them, including huanglongbing, the tree-killing disease carried by the citrus psyllid also known as citrus greening disease...

...The state’s citrus industry is worth $1.8 billion and employs an estimated 25,000 people, according to Gatto.

In late July, Food and Agriculture officials extended for four years a program enabling citrus producers to help pay for ongoing efforts to protect against threats such as diseases to the citrus industry. Producer assessments this year are expected to generate $15 million for the program.

Officials hope to eradicate the invasive psyllid before it can infect citrus trees with the huanglongbing disease bacteria. The psyllid has spread through Southern California since being discovered here in 2008. Ventura County had been the most northern reaches where the insect was found until insects were found in Tulare County.

Brown has until Oct. 13 to sign or veto the bill. Otherwise, it will become law.

You can read this article and more by visiting the Ventura County Star HERE

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

Deadline.com: CA Pols Announce Plan To Propose 2014 Bill Boosting Film and TV Tax Credits

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday October 3, 2013 @ 4:10pm PDT

California Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) and Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) today announced a plan to introduce new film and television production tax credits for the state in January 2014, when the legislature returns from interim recess. Competition from out-of-state incentive programs have been a prime concern in recent years particularly in Gatto’s Southern California district which spans Burbank, Glendale, and Hollywood and includes many of LA’s most prominent studios and post-facilities including DreamWorks, Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. But Gatto and De Leon don’t expect an easy road

ahead. They’re meeting with industry and studio figures as well as below the line pros and small business owners to gather feedback before setting the parameters of their proposed bill. “I think the entire program needs rethinking – not just renewing and throwing more money at it. We need to make incentives bigger and make them smarter and spend funds on things that matter,” Gatto told Deadline.

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

NBC 4: Hit and Run Bill Seeks Governor's Approval

By Conan Nolan | Sep 24, 2013

Los Angeles is the hit and run capital in America with 14,000 cases this year alone. A Burbank assemblyman is attempting to change this with a bill that will extend the statute of limitations on hit and run crimes from three to six years. Conan Nolan reports for NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2013.

Senior Scam Stoppers at Griffith Park Community Center

Back by popular demand, today I hosted another Scam Stoppers seminar for local seniors, this one at the Griffith Park Community Center.

Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto

La Canada Valley Sun: A dog-gone fine day for a walk

Thousands of dogs and their owners came to raise funds for the Pasadena Humane Society at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013. (Photo by Kathy Bakowicz / September 30, 2013)

By Sal Polcino
October 2, 2013 | 9:49 a.m.

More than 2,000 beribboned and bedazzled dogs of various breeds, shapes and sizes brought their humans to Brookside Park outside the Rose Bowl Sunday morning to raise funds for the Pasadena Humane Society.

Ricky Whitman, a spokesman for the group, said $296,000 had been committed by sponsors before the event had even begun.

“Just wait,” said Whitman. “There will be thousands more coming.”

The Wiggle Waggle Walk hosted dog-lovers from the wider area, including Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Silver Lake) and Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver.

Concession stands lined the parking lot with treats for human and canine alike. Mobile groomers and doggie photographers offered their services as various contests went on nearby.

A dog and owner look-alike contest opened the festivities and was followed by a puppy fashion show, with Gatto serving as a judge. Dogs sported costumes from a cowboy to a taco. Even a celebrity dog, Richard, from ABC’s Modern Family,” showed off for fans. Sorry, no autographs.

The Glendale Police Department’s K-9 unit also put on a demonstration, with Officer Shawn Sholtis putting on the protective suit while a police dog, Branko, attacked. Officer Alex Rolando hosted the presentation but promised, “Next time it will be my turn to wear the suit.”

Organizers also recognized some of the top fundraisers, including a team called “The Punk Rock Rovers,” which raised more than $60,000. The top individual walkers, Wil and Anne Wheaton — he of “Star Trek: the Next Generation” fame — brought in about $43,000. Those numbers were expected to grow in the days following the event.

“We are extremely pleased with the turn-out this year,” said event coordinator Milena Warns.

-- Sal Polcino is a freelance writer. 

You can read this article and more by visiting the La Canada Valley Sun HERE

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Mike Gatto is the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the California State Assembly.  He represents Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Atwater Village, East Hollywood, Franklin Hills, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, and Silver Lake.  www.asm.ca.gov/gatto