Antonio Ray Harvey | Author California Black Media
(CBM) – Hollywood movie studios announced last week that actors would join the ongoing writers strike, and a Sacramento council questioned its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As a result, I received a one-two punch.
On July 13, California Congressional Black Caucus (CLBC) members Sen. Laura Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) and Rep. Tina McKinner (D-Inglewood) lead a group of lawmakers at the State Capitol. He held a press conference to express his concerns. Through various news reports, Sudden retirement of black women He is leaving his high-profile career in Hollywood after the state recently approved $1.6 billion in tax credits for the industry.
This press conference was announced by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing Hollywood actors, following a strike by members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in the largest labor dispute in American entertainment. It took place on the same day I joined. The industry has seen it for 63 years.
In recent weeks, several Black women who were executives leading diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at major entertainment companies have left their positions.
“We are here today to call on industry executives to meet with our state Congressional Black Caucus and leaders in the coming weeks to explain what is behind this erasure.” Wood Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) said at a press conference.
“(We) would like to see evidence provided of how diversity, inclusion and the progress made will continue to move forward, given the lack of leadership and dignity at the forefront of these proposals. “I think so,” Smallwood-Cuevas added.
Verna Myers, Vice President of Inclusion Strategy at Netflix. Disney’s Latandra Newton, Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Vice President; Joanna Abaye, Creative Diversity Director at British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). All Warner Bros. executives, including Tera Potts, executive vice president of worldwide marketing, have been transferred.
Additionally, Karen Horn, DEI specialist at Warner Bros. Discovery, and Jeanelle English, executive vice president of impact and inclusion at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, have left their DEI roles.
Lawmakers say more Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) could join the exodus.
Lawmakers at the press conference said the departure of DEI experts from major Hollywood companies will create a culture of inclusion in the American film industry, an industry with a well-documented history of discrimination and exclusion. He said this gives the impression that this is not a priority.
“As Vice Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, we are proud to stand in solidarity with the Black Caucus,” said Sen. David Minn. “I don’t mean to criticize anyone, but I think it’s true that in the short period after the $1.6 billion tax credit was passed, we saw many of Hollywood’s leading African-American female executives fired. That seems suspicious.”
Senate Bill (SB) 485, introduced last year by Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada-Flintridge), provides $1.65 billion in financial support to film and television producers and other media content producers. It provides a tax credit of $330 million, or $330 million annually. The California Motion Picture and Television Production Tax Credit program was scheduled to end on June 30, 2025.
State lawmakers are now seeking a meeting, exploring ways to hold television and film studio executives accountable for profiting from state investments that essentially helped create the DEI program.
SB 485 was created after a series of production companies opted to leave California and move to states that offer larger tax incentive programs.ofthe bill was amendedto reflect California’s diverse population.
“It was very upsetting to see the industry’s response to the $1.6 billion tax subsidy quietly exclude Black women from executive positions at many studios,” McKinner said. “Many of these women have been involved in studio diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, raising serious questions about their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the film industry. Masu.”
SB 485 states: “For credit allocations made after July 1, 2023, this bill would revise the definition of eligible films for credit purposes and require applicants to submit a diversity work plan that includes broadly reflective goals. ” population of California.
On July 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 132, which extends the state’s $330 million annual film and television tax credit program for an additional five years through fiscal year 2030-31.
The governor’s office released a statement saying SB 132 “builds on a strong track record of success” and that its work has “generated more than $23 billion” into the economy.
More than 178,000 cast and crew members are supported by this program. The new budget creates the state’s fourth generation film/TV tax credit program, known as “Program 4.0.”
“The California Motion Picture and Television Tax Credit program will create hundreds of thousands of high-wage union jobs, support countless local businesses, and “We’ve pumped billions of dollars into our state’s economy.” Film Association. “Version 4.0 of the program, signed into law by Governor Newsom, creates new commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and establishes pilot programs on production safety and other provisions. We will build on that success.”
“The California Film Tax Credit 4.0 proposal builds on previous efforts to solidify California as the entertainment capital of the world, but does not include requirements to increase film diversity,” McKinner said. No,” he said. bottom line employment.
“All California Film Tax Credit 4.0 requires is good faith effort. California, that’s not enough.” McKinner continued. “We all should expect more from an industry that receives $1.6 billion in subsidies from California taxpayers.”
Smallwood-Cuevas, McKinner, and other members of the California Legislature want to amend SB 132 to keep the DEI program in place.
They look forward to speaking with members of the film and television industry, union representatives, and Governor Newsom to clarify the entertainment industry’s commitment to promoting and stabilizing DEI efforts.
“We want to see progress towards true inclusion and equity in this industry, and we want to make sure our tax dollars are not contributing in any way to this erasure,” Smallwood said. Cuevas said. “We hope these conversations will lead to a level of commitment and trust that will allow us to continue moving forward and expanding our investments in this important industry.”
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