January 2010
To see what the Sacramento filmmaking community is up to with the Mayor, please visit the "For Art's Sake" website HERE.
They are also on Facebook here: 
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 2009:
Christina Marie continues to serve on Mayor Johnson's "For Art's Sake" Committe, under the Film department. There have been three sub-committees formed: Best practices, Film Festivals, and Infrastructure. Each subcommittee will further investigate which direction we should go in as a city that supports the arts.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 2009:
Christina Marie is participating on the Film Committee for the Initiative for the Arts that Mayor Johnson has put together. She hopes to voice the concerns of Sacramento filmmakers & find a way to better promote Sacramento as the place to film. To give her a list of what concerns you have as a filmmaker or business owner in the City of Sacramento, please fill out the form below-Thanks!
We have closed the form as of October 26th. Thank you all for weighing in your opinions. Christina Marie will do her best to honor all of your concerns on the committee floor.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3-11-09 From Mayor Johnson of Sacramento, CA
christina,
thank you for taking time to contact me. i appreciate your feedback.
we've heard from a number of people on this same issue...kunal on my team is the best person to follow up and get the conversation started.
best,
kevin
>>> "Christina Marie" <thechristinamarie@sbcglobal.net> 3/4/2009 2:35 PM
>>> >>>
Mayor Johnson-
It was a pleasure seeing you at the Town Hall Meeting at the Meadowview Community Center last week. I would really like to meet with you to discuss further how Sacramento can attract more business with filmmakers.
My fellow filmmakers & I feel that a city incentive is the key to attracting more production in Sacramento. Many of us are doing our best to attract the business & generate home-grown business as well. I have 4 films that I would love to produce locally, but in order to do that, I need Sacramento's support.
From CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me about the entertainment industry. I always appreciate hearing from fellow Californians about the issues that are important to them.
As someone who worked in the film industry for many years, I understand that shooting a film is expensive and that producers often look for ways to cut costs. As Governor, I am a strong proponent of job growth and maintaining a friendly business climate in our state. I want to see that productions of all types and sizes choose California for our unrivaled production infrastructure and diverse locations.
The film industry is especially important to our state as it generates billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs every year. That is why in 2004, I issued an Executive Order to encourage cooperation between government agencies and the California Film Commission. I am also proud that the budget I recently signed includes $100 million a year in tax incentives to lure television and movie production back to California where it belongs. The tax incentives, which will last for 5 years, will play a crucial role in helping our economy recover and maintaining California as the film capitol of the world. For more information about the film and television credits, you may wish to contact the California Film Commission at
Again, thank you for writing. Please accept my best wishes for every future success and happiness as you continue working on your exciting projects.
Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From Senator Boxer:
Dear Ms. Marie:
Thank you for taking the time to write and share your views with me. Your comments will help me continue to represent you and other Californians to the best of my ability. Be assured that I will keep your views in mind as the Senate considers legislation on this or similar issues.
If you would like additional information about my work in the U.S. Senate, I invite you to visit my website, http://boxer.senate.gov. From this site, you can send a message to me about current events or pending legislation, access my statements and press releases, request copies of legislation and government reports, and receive detailed information about the many services that I am privileged to provide for my constituents. You may also wish to visit http://thomas.loc.gov to track current and past federal legislation.
Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate hearing from you.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please visit my website at http://boxer.senate.gov
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From CA Arts Advocates:
Dear Christina,
YOU DID IT!
Because of your letters and calls to Congress as well as your op-eds and letters to the editor, the $787 billion economic stimulus bill President Obama signed into law on February 17 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science included $50 million for the NEA. These funds will be "distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit art sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Production Alert from the CALIFORNIA FILM COMMISSION
February 19, 2009
Production Alert: State Legislature Passes Motion Picture Production
Incentive.
Early this morning, the California legislature passed a tax credit
for film and television productions that film at least 75% of their
shooting days in California, as part of the state budget bill. The
program is funded for five years at $100 million per year beginning
in fiscal year July 2009/10 through the 2013/14 fiscal year.
(However, credits may not be utilized until tax years beginning in
Jan. 2011.)
The Production Incentive Program is geared towards feature films with
budgets between $1 million and $75 million, TV series that relocate
to California, and TV series produced for basic cable.
Eligible productions may receive tax credits equal to 20% of
qualifying expenditures or 25% for independent films (with budgets
under $10 million) and TV series that relocate to California. Only
below-the-line expenditures qualify.
Enormous thanks goes out to a broad coalition of entertainment
industry groups who worked tirelessly on this effort for many years.
Those groups include: DGA, IATSE, AFTRA, SAG, Teamsters, MPAA, IFTA,
Hollywood Post Alliance, PGA and countless film workers, producers,
support businesses, the CFC board, and others too numerous to mention.
Over the next few months, CFC Director Amy Lemisch will be working on
drafting program regulations and application procedures.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2/6/09 From our friends at American for the Arts:
Your action is needed today, as $50 million in federal funds for the arts hangs in the balance!
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 is being considered by Congress right now, and a growing number of media reports have portrayed the arts funding included in the House version of the bill negatively. Americans for the Arts is calling on all of our members to provide a coordinated public relations response to educate the public and put pressure on Congress. We ask that you take two minutes to send a short letter to the editor of your local media outlet. We've provided the talking points and we just ask you to customize it to your community.
As Americans for the Arts has previously reported, the House bill includes a $50 milllion provision for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). As the legislation states, the NEA "is positioned to use existing mechanisms to allocate lifeline funding quickly to these nonprofit organizations to retain jobs" and there is solid research to demonstrate the stimulus gains that can be provided by this funding. However, here are some examples of the negative press received from publications across the country:
"True to form, Congress has loaded the [bill] with hundreds of billions in wasteful spending. The bill includes $650 million for digital TV coupons, $140 million to study the atmosphere and $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. None of these proposals would create jobs or boost our economy. They're just old-fashioned waste" - Op-ed in the Indianapolis Star
"The National Endowment for the Arts would get $50 million for new exhibits to deem America racist and sexist." - Op-ed in the Norwich Bulletin
"The National Endowment for the Arts, for example, is in line for $50 million, increasing its total budget by a third. The unemployed can fill their days attending abstract-film festivals and sitar concerts." - National Review Editorial
"I just think putting people to work is more important than putting more art on the wall of some New York City gallery frequented by the elite art community." [U.S. Rep Jack] Kingston said. "Call me a sucker for the working man." - Congressional Quarterly report
As Congress spends the next few days completing their work on this legislation, it is the exact time for arts advocates to write to their local media outlets today and fight back against threats to the funding and anti-art amendments. Visit our new Action Alert which will provide you with helpful information to send a Letter to the Editor to your local media outlets. If you take action today, we expect that this pro-arts message will show up in news reports by early next week, just when Congress is expected to be making final decisions on the legislation.
Please help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2/4/09
Special message from the Capital Film Arts Alliance Director Laurie Pederson (www.capitalfilmarts.com)
U.S. Senate eliminates film production from stimulus package; proposes similiar amendment with the arts
TAKE ACTION NOW!
There have been some good ideas in Congress concerning filmmaking, the creative industries, and the nonprofit arts -- and all these proposals are in jeopardy. I've detailed the recent history below
In January, the U.S. House of Representatives created and passed an economic stimulus package aimed at creating and retaining jobs. Included in the package was an increase in arts funding for arts-related jobs and distributed through the National Endowment for the Arts. The package passed the House and went to the Senate. There, the Senate included a provision that would allow film production projects started in 2009 to receive a 50% write-off on taxes. The LA Times story indicates that this proposal isn't that different than what many other industries and businesses get.
But a Senator from Oklahoma (Colburn-R) proposed an amendment to remove the film industry from the incentive package -- a move strongly supported by Republican Senators (and spear-headed by former presidential candidate John McCain) that passed by the U.S. Senate.
(LA TIMES STORY: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-movies4-2009feb04,0,6935493.story)
And today another amendment -- from the same Oklahoma senator -- would take out any funding for the arts ... meaning no job stimulus funding for any museum, performing arts organization, etc. etc. It will be voted on TODAY (Feb. 4).
California's two US Senators Feinstein and Boxer voted for keeping the film production tax incentive, and by all indications are in favor of keeping the arts-jobs provision. Unless you know someone in a state with a Senator who voted for Colburn's anti-film amendment who might vote to eliminate the arts/NEA funding, California's current state Senators already have the message of the importance of the film industry and the arts for California. The key will be when the package goes BACK to the House of Representatives for approval. This is where California's Representatives in the House can have an impact.
If you are in favor of a tax incentive for film productions in 2009, and if you are in favor of funding being available for the arts in the stimulus package, let your U.S. Representative know and encourage them to vote accordingly when the bill/package is sent back to the House for approval. Send an email, call, fax, or snail-mail a letter over. Don't know who your Rep is? Look him/her up through the Americans for the Arts site:
http://capwiz.com/artsusa/dbq/officials/?affiliate_lookup=1
Capital Film Arts Alliance will continue to keep the film community apprised of new developments in Congress and the state legislature. The January meeting with Assemblyman Paul Krekorian from Burbank was very successful, and CFAA members should get a chance to advocate on the state level in the coming months. But given the dire levels of the state General Fund, the area to focus on right now is Congress and the Economic Stimulus Package as it concerns film incentives and arts funding. If the funding from Congress specifically says that film and the arts WILL NOT any funding, then any outreach to the California legislature could be in vain.
The key question that I pose: why should a company that creates a product called film (and can include features, documentaries, television programs, commercials, etc.) be different than other companies that create solar panels, automobiles, canned goods, or widgets? And why should nonprofit organizations that bring the arts and culture in the form of after-school and community programs be treated differently than one that provides anti-smoking education or subsidized child care? They shouldn't. Filmmakers work for a living, pay taxes, buy things, send their kids to school, and create a product that is used by almost all Americans. And arts nonprofits provide access to culture and creativity and creative education to our students just as libraries provide access to nonfiction and literature -- as well as hire employees who pay taxes, buy things, and so on.
Time is of the essence for the federal stimulus package for film and for the arts. Please consider outreaching to your Congressional member before they are faced with a vote to keep or toss the "poison pills" for film and potentially for the arts that are being inserted by the U.S. Senate. Also consider letting our new President know how important these measures are, and that they are not "pork" to a select few, but rather strong job stimulus components to a healthy nation.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
LP