"California has the opportunity to become a powerhouse for offshore wind,” State Assemblymember Rick Zbur said at the conference, per a press release. “We need to continue focusing on our port infrastructure for offshore wind, right now."
The California Legislature has acknowledged that money alone might not be enough to entice production back to the state, introducing a pair of bills Wednesday aimed at bolstering Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to expand the state's Film and Television Tax Credit Program.
The bills, sponsored by state Sen. Ben Allen and Assembly members Rick Chavez Zbur and Isaac Bryan, are meant to "amend, update, and modernize" the current program beyond Newsom's commitment to increase the tax credits from their present level of $330 million a year to around $750 million annually.
One of the enduring scenes of the devastating fires in January was Pacific Palisades resident Casey Colvin sharing his unbridled joy at being reunited with his Pomeranian, Oreo, who ran away when Colvin's home was engulfed by the wildfire.
NBC News national correspondent Liz Kreutz reported in a TODAY exclusive on March 18 that Colvin's heartwarming moment sparked Los Angeles Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur to file the "FOUND" Act, which stands for Friends of Oreo Uniting During Disasters.
The proposed law, which has been filed in the California State Assembly but is not yet publicly available for viewing, is called the FOUND (Friends of Oreo Uniting During Disasters) Act.
"The FOUND Act is something that embraces what we all understand, how important our pets are and that they are parts of our family," California Assemblymember Rick Zbur, who authored the bill and represents portions of Los Angeles, said in an exclusive interview with NBC News.
A viral video has led to the creation of the FOUND Act, aimed at giving residents an avenue to rescue their pets during disaster situations.
California Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) was compelled to draft the proposed law after seeing a video of Casey Colvin reuniting with his dog Oreo after it ran off and was missing for five days during the Palisades fire.
Since 2009, the California Film and Television Tax Credit Program has sought to incentivize production to move back to L.A. Senate Bill 630 and Assembly Bill 1138 are now working through the state legislature to strengthen that program further. The bills were introduced by Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood), Assemblyman Issac Bryan (D-Culver City) and Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica).
The legislation would expand tax incentives for productions from $300 million to $750 million annually. In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the initiative, and the legislation was introduced on Feb. 26.
Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Santa Monica) introduced AB 891, a bill that will require Caltrans to develop quick-build bike lane and intersection projects to improve safety on state highways for cyclists and pedestrians.
A "quick build project" is a temporary, easily adjustable infrastructure improvement that can be installed rapidly using readily available materials to either solicit feedback from a community or put a smaller improvement in place while a larger one is planned. Quick build projects often rely on paint, signage, and plastic barriers, when concrete or other stronger materials will be needed for a permanent improvement.
NBC4's Conan Nolan speaks with Rep. Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) and Sen. Bill Allen (D-Hollywood) about legislation they have introduced in Sacramento to save the film and television industry.
The announcement of Keep California Rolling comes one day after state lawmakers introduced a pair of bills that are meant to "amend, update, and modernize" the current Film & TV Tax Credit Program, sponsored by Senator Ben Allen and Assemblymembers Rick Chavez Zbur and Isaac Bryan. Details on how the program might be reshaped were not revealed yet, but Chavez Zbur vowed it would include "expanding the kinds of productions that qualify for the program, again, focusing on those productions which we are losing and that provide the best jobs."
The details of the bills are still being negotiated by stakeholders, state legislators said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Los Angeles headquarters of the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
But the idea is to modernize the program's components to ensure California's film and TV tax credit program is more competitive with other states', Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, one of the bills' co-sponsors, said during the press conference.